Old Soul
by SwagSammich78
Summary: He'd found a cause to die for, and she'd barely began to live. When their fates become entwined all she wants to do is forget. Only with her newfound strength does she realize that she could be the only one to finally end this.
1. Prologue

Old Soul

Prologue

_It was dark. Too dark._

_It wasn't as if dark was something I feared. In fact, I enjoyed the dark. I thrived on the cover of darkness, of the possibility of mystery that lay behind the veil of shadow. It's just that this dark wasn't what I'd been expecting._

_I was taught that there was nothing I had to fear, that fear was that of the weak. Growing up in a world where discrimination ran amok did that to one. Sanity and civilization was beginning to crumble and break down into a chaos that I hadn't seen coming. Nor had anyone else._

_My father advised me not to get involved. It wasn't my fight, or any of ours. All we could do was save ourselves. Save ourselves and hope. I'd forgotten the meaning of hope a long time ago, but I at least did a good job of heeding his first advice; I didn't get involved. Instead, I drew into myself, seperating my smiles, my joys, from those around me. The world was a dangerous place. I couldn't afford to let it have me._

_At least, that's what I thought I'd been doing. Either way, somehow I was here. "Here" certainly wasn't a safe place. Here, I was going under, and there was no way back up to the surface._

_He was supposed to come for me. Somehow, he was supposed to be with me. Right here. Right now._

_Only he wasn't. This was his fight, and I was fighting it for him. I'd seen him as a lost cause, someone who had been doomed from the start. Only instead, he was out of harm's way, and I was the martyr._

_At least I'd finally found someone to die for._


	2. Chapter One

_yeah yeah, it's been awhile. I know. :P_

_And wait...this ISN'T a sequel to my other story, but a new one? Oh, bad Kelsey. bad. Just kidding. Honestly, Ive been having a lot of trouble motivating myself to write anything these days, so when I felt the beginnings of a big old plot bunny forming in my head, I decided to go along with it. This is the first thing I've written in about a year, so just be patient._

_Anyways, school's kicking my ass, and this fall is when I'm going to be applying so that I can hopefully transfer from community college to JMU. I've got a lot going on right now, and nto nearly enough time to explain it all (not that you asked to even hear it :P). it goes like this: I don't know what i want to do with my life, and I'm really trying to find out. I love to write, but is it something I could seriously pull off doing for a living? Who knows._

_Anyways, this story is a bit different from the other ones I do, a big example of that being that this is going to be all in first person. I hate first person, which is odd since that's what this is, but I feel this is the only way I'd be able to write this. Also, it's time to step out of comfort zones so that I can actually explore more dynamics of a character. This first chapter's supposed to be confusing, so don't beat yourself (or me!) up if you don't know what the hell's going on._

_Also, I will not guarantee frequent updating. you've been warned._

_So let's just see where this goes, alright? Right :)_

* * *

Old Soul

Chapter One

_September 9, 2022_

_Jazmine_

I'd snuck a peek at my phone in the hallway between my Physics class and my Advanced History of Western Civilization class, and I didn't have any text messages. I dialed my voice mail literally twenty-two times (exactly the number of the age I now was), and didn't have one message. I took extra pains to leave my final class as slow as possible; from retying both my sneakers to passing by almost two minutes by shrugging into my leather jacket as slowly as allowed. Of course, that didn't last long.

"Hurry along now, Ms. Alston," My professor, not at all kind in nature, snapped from behind her desk, her dark rimmed glasses adding to the intimidating glare she was shooting me. I swallowed, my nose wrinkling.

Really, it wasn't as if I loved school so much I wanted nothing more than to be there twenty four seven. It's just that it's a lot easier being there than being home.

Alone.

_"It's DuBois,"_ I almost couldn't help but correct, a bitter taste hanging on my tongue. _"Alston is my mother's maiden name. My last name was changed because they wanted to protect me." _

Instead of repeating those words, I merely stared at her. "Could you just call me Jazmine, please?" I asked politely. The woman glared harder, as if my simple request was physically impossible.

"The records in the database say jazmine Alston." Her tone was flat, but I could sense the impatience that radiated off of her. "Until I get a notification stating that your full name is officially 'Jazmine', then you will remain to me as 'Ms. Alston'. Now could you please get out of my room, Ms. Alston?" She offered a mocking smile.

I rolled my eyes, already heading for the door, schoolbooks in my shoulder bag. "Whatever."

Changing my last name was the only thing I could think of as a tribute to my mother. She'd died a few weeks before my sixteenth birthday, a part of an attack that had been about much more than just her. She'd been, simply put, in the wrong place at the wrong time. There was nothing any of us could have done about it.

Here, seven years later, I was still trying to accept that fact.

The golden rays of sunset blinded me the second I stepped onto the front steps of Woodcrest Community College. Already the air was turning cooler, a sure sign of fall arriving early.

Thanks a lot, global warming

I heaved my bag over my shoulder, heading for my car on the opposite end of the parking lot. My apartment wasn't more than a five minute drive away, and on any other day I would've chosen to walk. With gas being as expensive as it was along with ridiculously high costs of living I could barely afford to walk, let alone drive.

Only tonight was a Friday, which meant that my classes ran later than usual since I had more of them. Not to mention, being out past sundown was a good way to get in a big deal of trouble around here, and already the last bit of daylight was fading away.

I dove into my car, tossing the schoolbag in the backseat and settling in, putting the key into the ignition. My old car roared to life, and within moments I was speeding down the highway towards the main bridge that lead to my place. As I pulled to a stoplight, I checked my phone for any missed calls.

None.

"Happy birthday to me," I sang in a flat tone, glancing at my reflection in the rear view mirror and cringing at the disappointment in my green eyes. The light turned green and I shot off like a bullet, throwing my phone into the passenger seat. "My ass."

I don't know why I was even so disappointed. After my mother's death, after my best friend moved away, after so many things had changed...I simply fell out of touch with most people. I didn't even see the point of trying to keep in touch anyways. not when so many people were being taken away-

_'No,' _I thought to myself, shaking my head, my knuckles turning white as I clenched the steering wheel. _'Don't even go there.'_

I flipped through various radio stations, my eyes gliding over the sidewalks and the cars I passed. Almost everyone in their cars looked anxious, impatient, or full blown afraid. There were far less people out than usual, which was never a good sign. Was something supposed to happen that I hadn't heard about? Some new curfew, or law?

It was a Friday night. Downtown Woodcrest, no matter the circumstances, was never this quiet on a Friday night.

_"Today, a plane was shot down over an airport in West Virginia," _One woman said on the radio. _"Authorities have said that there were thought to be at least three Muslims, as well as four Jews on board-"_

"So you kill them _all_?" I snorted, changing stations. "Nice."

_"I love God, yes I do. I love God, you should, too-"_

Click.

_"It looks as if the anti-public school ban is being pushed for an approval as well-"_

Click.

_"Girllll, you know I was gonna let him tap that-"_

"Goddamn it." With one push the radio was off and I was alone with my thoughts, heading over the bridge. I could see Woodcrest sprawled out below, the twinkling lights and tall buildings against the twilight sky making it appear, well, normal. As if the rest of the world hadn't yet reached it. As if we were still safe.

That was a fact that I knew more than anyone to be false.

I glanced into my rear view mirror out of habit, my eyes squinting as I noticed the bright high beams of a truck, that were growing wider and larger in my vision. I blinked.

"What the-"

A sharp, sickening crash sent me shooting forward and I jerked, my car swerving wildly over the road. I quickly spun my wheel to avoid oncoming traffic, but only succeeded in flying right back in front of my attacker,

CRASH!

"Ah! Stop!" I screamed frantically, the guardrail that bordered the edge of the bridge coming towards me. It was only after the passenger side of my car rammed against it did I realize I'd been the one moving. I jammed my foot on the gas, but nothing happened. Almost in tears, I lifted my head to look over my shoulder and saw those bright headlights speeding towards me once again, only this time they were coming right for my door.

My eyes widened, and I swear I had one of those moments that they're always talking about in the movies, when time slows down and you can see your life flash right before your eyes. It was all there, moving and weaving right before my eyes, bursting into full color in the midst of those bright, white lights. Then, there was a crash that seemed to be more powerful than the others; a crash that sent glass flying like crystal, that was almost as loud as the sound of twisting metal. A crash with enough force that sent me and my car through the guardrail, and plunging below. For a few seconds I could do nothing but stare above me in surprise, the air around me whistling and howling, my hair whipping my face. There was too much shock to feel pain.

Then, with an icy burst of reality, there was cold. Then, nothing.

* * *

_Huey_

I've always hated swimming, and for good reason. It's like you're just asking to die.

First off, there's the whole "No running" thing at pools that no one ever seems to pay attention too, and then they wonder how little Jennifer busted her damn head on the side of the concrete as she fell in the deep end. There's the age old "wait half an hour after eating before you swim again" nonsense that is met with a scoff and a wave of a hand, followed by cramps while people play Marco Polo in the water.

Maybe I just hate this damn holiday.

Not only does Independence Day do nothing but give people reason to boast about how superior America is to let's see, everywhere else on the planet, but everyone seems to forget that independence Day is...well, the wrong day. If anyone payed attention to real history for once in their lives, they'd see that it should be July 2, since that's when the Declaration of independence was signed by the majority of those present, minus a couple. To add to that, it isn't even like any black people were freed. Did you see any African Americans waving their hands and rejoicing? Hell no. Their owners were still whipping their asses, yelling "Get back to work, nigger, and pick my cotton!" and calling it a day. Hardly a reason for celebration, if you ask me.

Actually, I don't really hate Independence day for that either. I hate it for the same reason everyone else. It's when the world as we knew it ceased to exist.

It's ironic, in a way. How a day known for bringing us freedom suddenly turned into a day when everyone looked to the sky, to their heaven, for their salvation. Instead, they were only met with more destruction.

* * *

_Jazmine_

I didn't have time to think. The second I hit the surface I was already struggling with my seat belt, kicking myself free from between the crushed in dashboard of my car. Around me, I could hear the groaning of metal as gravity pulled us under the surface, the pressure of water around me sucking us under. Finally grasping the metal buckle I clicked it, my belt releasing me so that I floated up into the ceiling of my car, which was now rotating downward so that my feet were above me. Flipping myself, my lungs already burning, I clambered through my already busted windshield, feeling a piece of glass embed itself in my hand. Biking through the darkness, I lifted my head in hopes of seeing the surface. Above me, the lit up bridge loomed, like a beacon.

I kicked off the hood of my sinking car, feeling more than hearing the tear that ran through the leg of my jeans. I kicked my legs wildly to see if I were stuck, a small stab of relief hitting me when I rose closer and closer to the surface. My heart was constricting painfully in my chest, the lack of air making my head swim as free as the river around me...

Then, my head broke the surface and I took in a deep lungfull of sweet, cold night air. Gasping, I managed to let the current pull me along so I wouldn't have to waste more energy going against it, and glanced upward. Already I could see the flashing red and white lights, along with the loud sirens of police cars.

"Fuck!" I yelled, ramming my fists on the water and making a splash. "My fucking car!"

I suppose I had more pressing things on my mind, such as who was the bitch that just tried to kill me, but all I could think about, all I could see, was my destroyed car. How was I supposed to get around _now_? How was I supposed to explain to the police that I'd just been pushed off the bridge for no damn reason? No one went to the police unless they absolutely needed to, and that was because the police were just as corrupted as the rest of the government.

Which was why, as quietly as possible, I slid myself on the dry, thick embankment along the river. Without hesitation, I ran for the cover of the trees, slowly making my way uphill so that I reached the end of the bridge. Slowly pulling myself over the guardrail there I found the sidewalk with my feet, and ducking my head down, mashing my hands into the pockets of my ruined leather jacket. After quickly glancing over my shoulder to make sure no one noticed me, I walked away from the scene, making my way home.

* * *

_Huey_

I haven't seen her since the funeral.

We were sixteen, and it was just after the Eulogy had been given. Everyone was already scattering, some lingering to cast a final glance towards the freshly packed earth and the headstone that rose in front of it.

_Robert Jebediah Freeman: March 4, 1928-February 9-2016_

The moving van was already packed, the plane tickets bough. Riley and I were finally getting our wish; we were going back to Chicago to live with our aunt.

Only, this wasn't the way I'd ever wanted our wish to come true.

It was cloudy, the way it always seems to be when someone who means so much to you departs this earth. I'd given the tombstone one last glance before forcing my eyes away, only for them to land on her.

She was dressed in black from head to toe, her hair pulled behind her in a big, poofy ponytail. Her green eyes were lowered to the ground in sadness, her dad's hand resting on her shoulder. I knew it wasn't easy for them to be here. They'd had their own loss, not even half a year ago. Yet there they stood, relying on each other for strength. My eyes left her face and fell back to the earth.

At least they still had each other.

I felt her making her way over to me before I heard her. Sure enough, a few seconds later a shadow fell beside mine, and I lifted my eyes once again for them to lock on her's.

"Hey." Her voice was that of a whisper. I winced at the pain I heard in it.

"Hey."

For a moment there was only silence, then, a gentle hand on my shoulder. "I'm sorry."

I'd sighed. "Me too."

More silence. I could feel her fuming beside me. Silence was something we'd always interpreted differently. For her, silence was a void that needed to be filled. For me, it was peace.

A peace that she took it upon herself to break.

"I know this isn't going to really help you," She said softly, the wind shifting her hair and causing her to shiver slightly. Her eyes refused to leave mine. "But Huey, i just wanted to tell you. before you..." She swallowed. "Leave."

My throat ran dry, my palms turning to ice. Was she going to say what i thought she was going to say? How could she, how dare she give into her emotions like this? In less than a few hours I was leaving Woodcrest and never coming back! For her to admit her true feelings for me, for her to cause us the pain and the heartache of never seeing each other again? It was all in vain. I hoped, I wished, that she'd say anything than what i knew she was going to say...

...and I got my wish.

"I believe that your granddad's in a better place now."

I blinked, caught off guard. "What?"

She offered a tiny smile, although I could tell it wasn't something she felt like doing. From our years of friendship, I could feel her own emotions as well as I could feel mine. We were so attuned to each other, it was a wonder that I hadn't even seen what she was about so say coming.

"I know you miss your grandfather," She said. "We all do. He was a great man. But...at least he's in a bette rplace now. And he's feeling no pain."

I paused. "And...that's supposed to make me feel better...how?"

I noticed her wince. Obviously, she was regretting even saying anything in the first place. "Never mind. It's not. Forget it."

But it was too late. After her own mother had died just a few months ago, she'd barely ever spoken to me. And now that my own grandfather had passed and I was leaving, the only thing she could think to say to me was that I should take comfort in knowing that my granddad was in some imaginary place? What the hell?

"Huey-"

"No." I held up a hand to cut her off. "I get it. You're just trying to help me feel better."

She nodded, her expression slightly hopeful. As if maybe, I'd let it go. As if I wouldn't say what she knew I was thinking.

Hell no. I wasn't giving her the satisfaction.

"Jazmine." I pinched the bridge in between my nose, closing my eyes to keep from shouting. "There is no heaven." When I heard her sharp intake of breath, as if she'd never heard me say this before, I shook my head. "There is no eternity after this earth. There's only _now_."

"Huey, that's not true-"

"Then what the hell do we have, Jazmine?" My eyes flew open and my fists clenched, the pain and grief I'd refused to let show for my grandfather, for my own parents, rising and breaking through me. "What, I'm supposed to blame my granddad's death on some unexplainable miracle plan? I'm supposed to take comfort in knowing that he's dead, even though i'm not supposed to know why? I'm supposed to put it in _God's hands_?"

"Huey-"

"No!" I exploded; Jazmine's eyes were filling with tears and she reached a hand out towards me, but I pushed it away, stepping back. "Damn it, Jazmine! When will it sink in? When will you open your eyes?" I clenched my teeth. "There is no God! And you of all people should be able to see why!"

I spun on my heel, aware of the faces that watched me, feeling the gaze of every living thing in that cemetery on me. Behind me, I could hear Jazmine's sobs, could hear the murmurs that were beginning, but I didn't care. Siding up beside my Aunt and my younger brother, Riley, I closed my eyes again, exhaling and letting my shoulders sag. I slowly looked over my shoulder to give Jazmine a final look.

But she was gone.

* * *

_Jazmine_

My car wasn't the only thing that was destroyed.

Upon finally arriving at my apartment complex wet, cold, and sore, did I see something that made my heart stop.

Yellow caution tape surrounded the property, everyone who resided inside the building being ushered outside by policemen. One of them, I could see, had a megaphone. Above the building, a helicopter hovered, bright lights shining down from it onto the startled, confused crowd below. The wind from its blades was picking up, causing my damp hair to smack me in the face.

"What...is going _on today?_" I mumbled, although my instincts were already telling me that it was nothing good. Sure enough, when the policemen with the megaphone spoke into it a few seconds later, I felt my eyes widen.

_"No one leaves this complex until we learn the whereabouts of Jazmine Elizabeth Alston-" _

"Damn it!" I cursed, taking a step back before spinning on my heel, running back in the direction from which I came. My heart was beating fast and furious in my chest, my damp body breaking into a cold sweat. What had I done? What was going on?

Were they finally coming for me, now that everyone else in my life had been taken from me?

Before I could turn the corner, I heard someone yell. "Halt!"

Of course, that wasn't what made me stop. What was I, stupid? I wasn't going to let up only for some policemen to take me into custody for God-only-knows what.

Instead, it was the motorcycle.

The sleek, shining Harley's engine was roaring dangerously, not to mention speeding towards me. I stepped back instinctively in an effort not to get run down, but to my surprise, it came screeching to a stop right in from of me. My eyes widened, the shouts in the near distance that were angrily directed towards me fleeing my thoughts.

The rider was obviously a man; he dropped one heavy boot onto the ground, balancing himself, leaning towards me. I could see my disheveled expression in the reflection of his dark shades, and it made me cringe, therefore I focused on him.

He was decked out head to toe in leather; leather jacket, leather gloves, leather pants, leather boots. The collar of his black T shirt poked out from behind the collar of his jacket, and just above that I could make out some tattoo on his dark neck: a crescent moon, along with a star.

A Muslim.

"Need a ride?" He asked from beneath the black helmet that covered his face. I blinked in surprise; his voice was strong, deep, and oddly familiar. I lifted my chin, before shaking my head.

"No?" He asked, before chuckling. "Ah. I should've realized. You don't talk to strangers."

Weakly, I nodded my head.

"Well, this is how I see it." He jabbed a gloved thumb in the opposite direction, where I could already see policemen heading our way. I made to back away but he reached out and grabbed my wrist. "They want you. And you aren't going to make it far on foot, Jazmine DuBois."

I froze, my eyes hardening. No one had reffered to me by my real last name since I'd been in High School. "Who are you?"

"How about I tell you when we get to where we're going?" The voice asked. I was surprised to hear that it wasn't at all intimidating, but full of good humor. "Now come on."

Before I could object further he reached for me, balancing the bike between him, and easily lifted me off my feet, plopping me on the seat behind him. "Hey!" I yelled, but was silenced when he took my arms and wrapped them around his waist.

"Calm down, and just hold on!" he snapped from behind his helmet as he revved the engine, his gloved hands tightening on the handlebars. "I don't have another helmet so I don't want us stopping for unnecessary injuries. It's a long way to Chicago."

And with that he stomped on the gas, the back tires squealing along the street before we were off, shooting down the street as fast as a comet in the night sky. I screamed, unintentionally tightening my hold around my savior/captor's waist, and squeezing my eyes shut. I buried my head in his shoulder, listening for the sirens that were fading away in the distance. Even when the last of their sounds disappeared, I didn't relax.

Instead, I finally let the day's current events sink in. Someone had tried to kill me, I had no car, I couldn't return home, and I was being taken to some unknown location by someone unknown person. Who might just be dragging me into as much danger as I'd just left.

As it all began to dawn on me, I finally began to cry.

* * *

_Yeah...review? maybe?  
It gets better. I promise. _

_Edit: I'm dedicating this chapter to Michael Jackson, who I just found out has died. Sad, sad shit. RIP :(_

_Late Disclaimer: No...I don't own the Boondocks. And would think of a wittier way to say it if I weren't sad right about now. _

_-Kelsey_

* * *


	3. Chapter Two

_Yay! Thanks to Shadw for the first review! :D_

_Um...yeah...that's about it... _

_Disclaimer: I don't own the Boondocks_

* * *

Old Soul

Chapter Two

_Caesar_

Her crying was really distracting.

It wasn't that it was irritating me, or that it was even making me uncomfortable because she was getting my jacket wet with her tears soaking it. It was the fact that there was nothing I could do about it, except continue our trek through Illinois, the cold wind slicing through my clothes and causing tears to stream from the corners of my eyes. I could only imagine how cold Jazmine was; she was the one that was wet from head to toe.

Once upon a time, we'd been the best of friends. She, along with Huey, were the two people I was hardly ever without, the two people who I could trust with my secrets, my fears, my aspirations, and know that they'd take them to the grave. They didn't judge me (alright, well, not intentionally she didn't), and in times of sadness I could count on them to be there.

Then, the "Reconstruction" era happened.

No, not the period after Abraham Lincoln freed the slaves. Well, actually...in a way, it is kind of like that.

Either way, the point is that after a while, the government got way too concerned about making the US a Christian nation. Racism, this time, was directed more to those whose beliefs conflicted with Christianity, and not as much to the color of one's skin.

It sounds ridiculous. I swear, I'm not making this shit up.

...Really.

"Once upon a time" is something of the past, which is exactly why I can't just pull over to the side of the road, take of my helmet, and comfort her. It's why I can't just tell her to stay calm, that everything will be alright, because she's safe now. I can't promise her anything.

For all I know, we aren't safe.

Upon seeing an exit sign for Springfield, I veer sharply to the right, and Jazmine screams right in my ear.

"Shit!" She yells, her voice surprisingly sharp. "Can you slow the hell down?"

I raise my eyebrows, not being able to help but smirk. "Since when do you have such a potty mouth?" I joke lightly, aware that, as she asked, I am slowing the hell down. I feel her arms loosen just the slightest, and I mock sigh. "Well, if my slowing is going to result in you not holding me as tight, I might have to keep my speed."

"Fuck you."

I shake my head, grinning instead of scowling, as I suppose she had hoped I would. Back in the day, I used to flirt with her all the time, and all she did was laugh it off. I guess things were different when you're now twenty-two, didn't know who was driving you around on a motorcycle, or where you were going.

"Relax," I told her, turning off the exit ramp and making a quick left so that we were approaching a familiar gas station. "I was joking."

The only sound I hear in response is a quick grumble, followed by silence. Oh well.

We pulled into the gas station, pulling into the furthest parking space from the entrance. Quickly cutting the engine, I kick down the stand before climbing off the bike. I glance over my shoulder to Jazmine, who is watching me with an odd combination of anger, fear, and curiosity.

"Do you have to use the bathroom?"

She shakes her head, her eyes hardening. I look closer, and see her shivering slightly. She looks like she's trying to keep from shaking in the firsty place, which only causes her to shake worse.

"Are you okay?" I asked, taking a step closer. She watches me, guarded.

"Jazmine." Even though I've been trying to disguise my voice the entire way, I can't help but let out some of its gruffness, so that my tone is softer, more gentle. "I'm not going to hurt you."

She squares her shoulders, her eyes still narrowed. "Who are you?"

I shake my head.

"I won't be mad." She clears her throat. "If you just tell me who you are, how you know my name. I won't tell. I promise."

I snort at that one. If she found out who I was before we got to Chicago, she'd probably try to find some way back to Woodcrest.

Which is why, instead, I simply go, "Someone who knows why your parents are dead."

I watched her eyes widen, her jaw slacken. Figuring that I'd leave her to sort that one out herself I turn on my heel, heading for the convenience store. "Are you sure you don't have to go?" I asked her, jabbing my thumb towards the inside of the brightly lit windows so that she doesn't try to twist the meaning of my words. I could already imagine her trying to flag down some car on the highway. Then, she'd really be in trouble. "At least tell me what to get you to eat. We've still got 150 miles to Chicago."

Jazmine shakes her head again, only with less hostility; I can tell my words hit home. "No...I'm fine."

I shrug, then continue towards the store. "Please, be here when I get back." I give her one last glance. "Because I'm not the one you should be fearing right now."

* * *

_Riley_

If I wouldn't have been for us skipping school that day the first attack happened, we'd both be dead.

She'd missed the bus, and so had I. Huey's ride always came earlier than even the bus did, so I won't even trying to catch that. So shit, I was just planning to skip like any other time, and here go her ass:

"Let's walk!"

I'd looked at her like she was crazy. Shit, the broad has always been pretty retarded. But _walk_? In my fresh whites? Was she forreal?

"Bitch, please," I'd snorted, relishing in the fact that Huey was already at school, therefore he couldn't get mad at me for calling her that and smack me like he always did. "I ain't walking nowhere, except for back in the house."

Jazmine had sighed, rolling her eyes and hoisting her backpack over her shoulders. Both her and Huey were always in all them smart people classes, so I won't surprised she was about to break her back. "Fine," She'd grumbled, blowing a strand of curly red, brown, whatever color that mess was, hair out of her face. "I guess I'll walk myself."

"You do that then! Like I curr." I smacked my lips, already going back into the house. By the time granddad realized I was awake and we finished yelling it would be too late for me to go in the first place. Unless I wanted to be there for an hour.

Jazmine was such a goody good that U was sure she was already running down the street, still determined to make it on time. Which was exactly why I was surprised to see her standing there, staring at me when I reached the doorstep.

"Nigga, what?" I ain't have no patience for this mess.

Jazmine pointed across the street, towards her empty driveway. "Both my parents are gone already," She said in a proud voice. "Wanna play video games?"

I raised an eyebrow, taking a step closer. "Really?"

"Well, yeah. I mean, a little bit of skipping is okay sometimes, right?" She asked me with big eyes.

I couldn't help but be shocked. She was always trying to do the right thing, and now she suddenly decided that it would be okay to trade schoolbooks for Xbox controllers? If I were the type who analyzes shit all the time, I would've thought about how this was surely a sign of our growing friendship.

But I don't do that shit. That's just gay.

So I was just like, "Yeah, cool!" And went over her house. And we played video games, ate snacks, and laughed at TV shows, unaware of the changing world around us. It was only when Huey came banging on the door later that afternoon, yelling about the news, that we realized what happened.

The bus that Jazmine and I usually rode had caught on fire, exploding in the middle of a major intersection about two blocks from school. Everyone on it, including the driver, had died.

It was a long time after that before Jazmine or I wanted to get in another vehicle, let alone go to school. Yet, everyone was all "Oh, go to school. Get yo education. Quit whining." And I was like, "Bitch, are you surious? We almost died out that bitch!" Still, we ended up going to school everyday, courtesy of Jazmine's paranoid driving father, who purposely worked different hours just so he could drive us to and from school himself.

Yup, it was a long time before me and Jazmine got over the explosion. But it was an even longer amount of time before we realized that it hadn't been an accident.

* * *

_Jazmine_

"Here."

I look up from my spot on the ground beside the motorcycle to see him holding out a pack of Little Debbie Zebra Cakes, gesturing for me to take them. Which is odd all in itself, considering that Zebra Cakes are only my favorite snack ever.

I stare at him, slowly reaching up to take them from his hand. "T-thank you," i manage softly, but he shrugs and manages a little chuckle.

"I had to give you _something_ for your birthday," He says casually, shifting from side to side. "Sorry, this was the best I could do." When I continue to stare at him, he stiffens. "What?"

I can hardly believe it. "You know my birthday?"

He seems uncomfortable, and jams his hands into his pockets. "Well, yeah. September ninth. Right?"

I nod, dumbfounded. He smirks, already getting back onto his motorcycle.

"Good. Then happy birthday." He pat the seat behind him. "Now, get on."

* * *

_Caesar_

There's so little traffic and I go so fast that we make it to Chicago in less than an hour. The only problem was the rain.

I can tell that the trip had taken its toll on Jazmine; by the time we get into the inner city she's shivering so hard that she puts my rumbling engine to shame. We're both soaking through our clothes, not to mention freezing. Not to mention...

"Why are we driving around in circles?" I heard her manage to ask me through chattering teeth, her grip on my jacket more relaxed. If nothing else, she was at least observant. I was the one who'd been living here for almost five years and I could barely tell where we'd been going.

"Just throwing people off our trail," I said, not loud enough to be shouting, but loud enough where she could hear me. I felt her grip tighten.

"Who?"

"Don't worry, I'll let you know," I responded, my eyes already focusing through the steady sheen of rain on the seemingly useless woman sitting on a bench beside a parked white van, a dark brown top hat lowered over her face. She was reading a wet newspaper, her long blond hair in two braids. I saw her look up, and upon noticing me, wink. "There we go. Coast is clear."

"Coast is what?" Jazmine's voice tightened. "What are you _talking _about?"

I was tuning her out; already, the woman was up, climbing into the back of the van, where two pairs of gloved hands were reaching out to help her up. I glanced around, making sure to recognize which cars, which people, were around witnessing us at this moment. Was anyone noticing us?

Nope.

"What is-" Jazmine started to say, but just then, the van shot off from the curb, immediately darting across three lanes of traffic and spinning around the corner. I tightened my grip around my handlebars, already stomping on the gas pedal.

"Hold on!" I shouted, and she shrieked just like she had back in Woodcrest. I felt her ball her fists up as she held on for dear life, and then we were gone, imitating the van's move, initiating too many car horns and angry shouts for my liking. It didn't matter, though; already we were speeding down highways and side streets that were too blurry to fully recognize, lights flashing by so quickly that it seemed as if bits of color were flashing in front of my eyes. Behind me, I could hear Jazmine screaming her ass off.

"We're almost there now!" I yelled, not being able to stop from laughing. With all that was going on, with everything that had occurred, I just couldn't help myself. It felt like we were flying, soaring. I could see the lights scattered around us and in the horizon as we crossed a bridge, the twinkling of streetlights and lit up skyscrapers mocking that of the stars. The rain, cold as it was, beat down on us in sheets, and the air felt so cold, but...I took in a deep breath, letting out a joyous yell.

I felt so _alive_.

Within minutes, the van finally pulled into a tight alleyway, slowing down until it stopped before a tall, chain iron fence. I skid to a stop right behind it, quickly cutting the engine and kicking down the stand. Behind me, Jazmine was slowly climbing off the bike, her legs unsteady beneath her. Her wet hair fell over her face, so I couldn't see her expression. I could tell though, that she wasn't exactly feeling the best.

"Come here," I called out to her, reaching out a hand for her. She lifted her head, and I realized what she was about to do before she even did.

"Wait!"

I grabbed her by her middle as she tried to sprint towards the street, tackling her to the ground. She screamed, kicking and throwing her fists at me; I roared in pain as her right fist caught me in my eye.

"Fuck!" Grabbing her wrists and sitting on her so that she was pinned down I tried to blink, glaring over my shoulder. "A little help here, guys!"

"Let me GO!" Jazmine shrieked, trying to buck me off. She strained against my grasp, but to no avail. "Let me go right now, or I swear to God I will-"

"Don't you think he's gotten us in enough mess as it is?" I heard myself shout. To my surprise, she fell silent, but still struggled against me until I heard pairs of footsteps come up behind us.

"Hold on, I've got you." Two tanned hands were reaching over me, and grabbed Jazmine by her upper arms. I felt someone tap me on the shoulder and looked up to see another one of my friends, offering me a reassuring smile.

"It's alright, man. Go inside and relax. You've had a long night." When I hesitated, he nodded towards the door. "She's waiting for you."

I rose to my feet, and he grabbed Jazmine's waist, pulling her upright so that she was on her feet; the other guy quickly grabbed her wrists with one hand. "Get off me!" She yelled, but the other man covered her mouth, staring into her wide eyes.

"Stop talking, while we don't have any problems." Removing his hand, he looked at me. "Is she always this stubborn?"

"Stubborn?" Jazmine suddenly spoke up, her eyes narrowing. "Stubborn? _I've just been fucking abducted!_"

"No, you ungrateful ass!" He shouted back, his nose inches from her's. "He-" he jabbed a finger in my direction "-just saved your life!"

"Fuck you!" Jazmine shot back, her shoulders shaking. "You don't know shit about me!"

"Look, you dumb-"

"Shut UP!" I suddenly roared, causing the three's heads to snap towards me. At least take this inside, where others can't overhear!"

"No-" Jazmine started to say, but her captor shoved her in front of him, so that she was trapped between the two men and had no choice but to follow me.

I led the small group towards the iron door on the right wall of the alleyway; glancing behind me towards the street to make sure no other eyewitnesses were looking, I reached into my pocket and withdrew a long, old fashioned, bronze key. Unlocking the door, I waved to the others, beckoning to them.

The four of us headed down the dimly lit hallway that was on the other side, the white walls that surrounded us on either side made me feel slightly claustrophobic. Finally reaching another door, I slowly lifted my helmet off my head, holding it in my hand. I pulled off a glove, and knocked.

A tiny flap that was exactly eye level to me opened, and a pair of familiar blue eyes stared back. "Long journey?"

I let out a long, low whistle. "Super long."

the flap closed and the door suddenly flung open, the woman in the overcoat throwing herself into my arms. "Caesar!"

My lips melted into a smile and I dropped the helmet, wrapping my arms around her waist. "Cindy," I whispered into her neck, relief filling me. Behind me, I heard a gasp, followed by movement.

"Hold...still-"

POW!

"Damn it, woman!" The tan man, Cairo, bellowed, trying to catch Jazmine, who had somehow freed herself and punched our other friend, Duey, in the eye. She took off for the other end of the hallways, crashing into the door and trying desperately to open it. It didn't budge.

"Don't even try!" I shouted over the top of Cindy's head. "It's locked, Obviously. Automatic."

Jazmine began banging on the door, sinking to her knees. Duey grabbed her again by her waist, carrying her back towards us. "Stop!" She yelled, beating on his chest with her fists.

"You want me to stop?" Duey snapped. "FINE."

He abruptly opened his arms so that Jazmine suddenly fell, hitting the hard, cold floor with a dull thud.

* * *

_Jazmine_

I hit the floor hard, my back making a hollow thumping sound upon impact. I could hear shouts above me, but I ignored them and instead swiped at my eyes with my fingertips. I blinked in confusion as I noticed the blood that stained them.

"...can't just _drop_ people when you get angry at them!"

"She _punched Cairo in the face_!"

"She's just a woman!"

"A woman who punched Cairo in the face!"

I stood up, suddenly woozy. I tried to take a step forward, but instead I felt my legs failing, and I slumped into the wall, gripping at the stone with shaking fingers.

"Jazmine!" I heard someone shout, and was suddenly swept up in a too familiar, floral scent. I felt her blond hair tickling my nose, and I sneezed. "Damn, baby, you could've bought her more clothes! She's going to get sick!"

"Honey, I don't think you understand...we were on the run from the government!" I heard him below. "Sorry that there wasn't a gap nearby!"

"She's so cold..."

I blinked, clinging to Cindy, even though she was a few inches shorter than me. "Cindy."

She stared down at me, her eyes swimming. "Jazmine." I heard her swallow. "Jazmine, oh my god. I...we...thought you might be-"

I swallowed a lump of my own. "What's happening?"

"Get her inside," I heard, who I now knew was Caesar, say. "I think that cut above her eye might need stitches, and she hasn't stop shivering since Bloomingdale."

I had a cut? I shuddered. I didn't know what to expect anymore.

"Honey? Can you walk?" Cindy asked. I lifted my chin to respond, but instead I noticed a new figure move in the doorway. I froze.

Suddenly, it didn't matter. It didn't matter that I hadn't seen him in almost six years, or that life as I knew it had been ripped away from me. I didn't care that I was hurt, shaking, and bruised, or that my head was pounding. All I could see was him.

He was here...he was so close...

Only then, I felt something foul and bitter pushing its way up from my stomach; it was a feeling that made me drop to my knees, my hand at my throat and the other supporting me. Everyone reached for me, but it was only him I could see as his mahogany colored eyes widened, his thick eyebrows raising. It was him who ran forward to grab me before I collapsed on the ground, his arms who encircled me as I shook against him...

And it was him who I lifted my head to look at as the angry liquid reached my chest, bubbling and writhering until it finally burst from me...

And it was him whose shirt I threw up all over, before I let myself fall into unconsciousness.

* * *

_Reviewwwwwwwww._

_K, thnx. 3_


	4. Chapter Three

_Okay, so I must say...I am really enjoying this story right about now. There are so many ideas I have about where to go with it, which is both good and bad. Good, because, well it's always good to have ideas. Bad because I don't want to just get to a block and burn out, then result in a story I don't feel motivated to finish. So, keep your fingers crossed._

_Anyways, thanks to Shadw, Darnell the Author, Dark Smile, MizzC, and TRIGGER MIKE THE GREAT for the reviews! They really are encouraging, and I'm glad to get the positive feedback. I'd be glad for criticism (well, okay, it would suck and all but you do need it to grow) as well, so feel free to send that in as well. _

_So, here goes chapter three!_

_(And to answer someone's question, I have no idea if I'm back for good. Let's just see where this goes. :P)_

_Disclaimer: I don't own the Boondocks. Arghh...._

* * *

Old Soul

Chapter Three

_Riley_

This broad…threw up on my brother.

He's a good one, cause I don't care if she was sick. I don't care if she was in shock, or in pain, or any other of those lame ass excuses he tried to give, with his wackself. She's unconscious? I don't give a fuck. I would've chucked her dead outside if she did that shit to me.

Which was exactly why when I came up into the doorway to see practically everyone surrounding her, Huey's face sporting this look like he was gonna throw up himself (and he still had the nerve to be holding her ass), I went, "Ew. Really, Jazmine? Really?"

Huey gave me a look, his nose still wrinkled, although his eyes were soft. "Cut it out, Riley," he told me, standing to his feet, Jazmine's head resting on his clean shoulder. I tried to ignore the strange, green substance on that covered the majority of his shirt as well as a part of the floor, along with the smell. "She's been through a lot. And all she had to eat-" he shot Caesar a dark look. "-was a Zebra Cake."

Caesar threw his hands into the air. "We were on the run!" He yelled, frustrated. "Damn, what the hell did y'all want me to do? Make a stop by the cozy four seasons on the way? Sip at some tea and eat scones at some outdoor café? You're the one who wanted us back before dawn, in case you're forgetting-"

"She's pretty tall, but Maya's around her height," Cindy cut in, wrapping her arms around Caesar's waist and directing her words towards Huey. "She should have some pants that fit her until we can get her more clothes."

"Fine. Can someone please go ask her?" Huey sighed, shaking his head. When Cindy moved past him, heading towards the house, she nodded in his direction. As she passed me, she winked.

"Fun times, huh?"

"Get outta here with that mess." My lips curled upward and she smirked, before disappearing inside. In front of me, Huey was giving out commands, being the serious bitch he is. "I ain't cleaning that shit up," I muttered under my breath.

"Cairo, go lock up the bike," Huey said, not even affected by the unconscious girl in his arms. "Duey, go with him. Caesar, I want you to go see what you can find out about a woman named Jazmine Alston in Woodcrest. See what they're saying about her. Make sure you two don't leave the roof entrance unlocked again!" He suddenly bellowed towards Cairo and Duey, who were retreating through a side door. "Damn, you're just asking to get us caught-"

"It was this nigga's fault!" Cairo shot back, plucking Duey in the forehead. "You know he be slow."

"Shut up!" Duey snapped.

"Riley." I started as my older brother acknowledged me, his eyes serious. "I want you to go take Jazmine to Hiro, so he can take a look at her. I think Maya's somewhere around here, too, so she can probably handle her wardrobe-"

"HELL. NO." I shook my head, backing up and pinching my nose. "That bitch smells like throw up."

"Riley, can you just _grow up_ for about five minutes?" Huey rolled his eyes. "I have other things to worry about."

"I'm sure Jazmine's not too high from the top of the list for you, so why don't you do it yourself?" When Huey glared at me, I sighed, holding out my arms. "I hope your number one priority right now is changing your shirt. Cause no offense, my nigga, but you smell like ass."

Huey shook his head, shifting Jazmine's weight as he slid her into my arms. She wasn't heavy by a long shot, but the dead weight was something I didn't prepare myself for quick enough, so I ended up stumbling a bit. "How do you even know what that smells like?"

"It's an expression. Damn!" I grinned. "And you call _me_ stupid?"

Huey just ran a hand through his large Afro, already heading through the same side door Cairo and Duey took. "Get her upstairs. I'm going to go set the alarm." He glanced behind him, sighing. "And I guess clean up that vomit."

I watched him go, listening for his footsteps to fade, before I let out a sigh of relief.

"You don't know how glad I am," I mumbled to the woman in my arms. "That you're alive."

A loud cackle came from behind me, followed by an "Uh huh! I knew you missed her ass!"

I whirled around, glaring at Cindy, who was holding a stack of clothes. "Shut up!"

"Stop trippin, Reezy." She wiggled her fingers, beckoning me closer. "Now, come on."

* * *

_Huey_

To the rest of the world, Huey Freeman is dead.

So is Riley Freeman, along with Michael Caesar. Hell, they even think that Cindy McPhearson disappeared along with the rest of some flight heading into the Caribbean one stormy night three years ago. With so much going on these days, it's a bit more difficult to keep up with people, which is how it was so easy to fake my death.

It's not easy, being non-religious in a country where the government can kill you for it. Correction: being anything but a Christian. Caesar himself converted to Islam a few years back, but in the government's eyes, the two of us are both screwed. It's just like over in the Middle East, in the "Holy Land". Only there, they've trained their government to cover it up.

Here, they brag about it. They call it "Religious Cleansing". It's on CNN, in papers, news stations that broadcast all over the world. It's like karma's coming back on the US for all those countries that needed our help and we ignored them, or all those countries whose business we chose to butt into, uninvited. Now, no one's coming to our aid.

Not that they could. The United States is probably the most powerful country in the world, even isolated from our once allied countries. The United Nation's collapsed. There is no NATO.

We're fucked.

The only people who are safe, of course, are Christians. Sadly, it's pretty hard to prove that; you have to have records of the church you belong to, your church has to be registered…they even background check and look up your ancestry, just to make sure you don't have any Jewish cousins or Agnostic sister-in-laws; anyone who could influence your religion.

"Huey Freeman" died February 9, 2016, the exact same day as "Riley Freeman", along with the actual death of our grandfather. The train back to Chicago had derailed, only it wasn't the train we're on, at least, not in actuality.

It wasn't hard to do. With my friend Hiro's help, it was pretty simple to hack into the state of Illinois' records and change our dates. We even went into the database for Amtrak and switched the times of our trip, so that it seemed as if we'd just been another casualty, and not the mourning teenagers we were at our grandfather's funeral. Everyone was too scared to talk to the police, and even if they did, they weren't going to think about the Freeman siblings still being alive.

"Aye, man."

I looked up from my thinking to see Caesar shuffling in, already wearing new clean clothes, his expressions triumphant. He had a beer in one hand, a small box in the other. "We pulled it off, huh?" He held out his fist. I held out my own, thumping it against his.

"Yeah. Good job, man." I turned towards the computer I was seated at, my eyes scanning the screen. "What's up? How's Jazmine?"

"She's fine. Still sleeping, but I think that's for the best right about now." Caesar shook his head, and I could tell he was trying not to laugh. "She's going to be _pissed_."

"I know." I began typing, the codes I was entering way too easy for anyone who knew them to take seriously. "What other choice did we have, Caesar? They were going to come for her eventually. I couldn't leave her there."

"Huey, she thought we were all dead." Caesar briefly left the room and I heard him in the kitchen, picking up a chair. He carried it back into the room, plopping it down beside me before sitting on it. "I don't think she's going to be angry that we brought her here. I think she's going to be angry when she finds out we've been lying to her for practically six years. Not to mention when she finds out we ran her off the road."

I couldn't help but smirk. "No, man. _You _ran her off that bridge, not me."

"It was your idea!" Caesar raised his eyebrow at me. "What if she wouldn't have survived, like you said she would? What if she would've died?"

I felt something clench inside me, something that made it hard for me to focus on breathing. Just the thought of her dying…I shook my head, once again focused on the task before me.

"Jazmine was the best swimmer in our class. She's a certified lifeguard, and even got her license for scuba diving the summer she was eighteen, four months before her father died."

"Huey…she had to find her way out of a sinking _car_."

"The windows busted out like they were supposed to." My voice, I could tell, was becoming more strained. "It wasn't a long drop from the top of the bridge, and that's why you got out of the car. To make sure that if you needed to, you could save her." Finally seeing what I needed, I clicked with the mouse, giving Caesar a critical look. "Now stop making this more complicated than it has to be. She's fine."

"Yeah, until she wakes up." Chuckling, Caesar glanced at the screen. "What's up?"

"You know what's up." I tapped the state of Illinois emblem at the top right corner of the screen, already entering code after code, satisfied that I'd finally remembered every twenty-six digit password by memory. "Fixing the records."

Caesar snorted, flipping his dreads out of his face. I eyed him.

"Did anyone see her between the time when her car ran off the bridge and when you picked her up?" If anyone had noticed her that wasn't supposed to, then this entire thing could end up not even working. Not to mention, a breech in security could be traced, and the only person who could keep that from happening was probably upstairs, still with Jazmine. I noticed Caesar pause.

"…really?" My tone was flat.

"Well, no." His response was uncertain. "I think a cop noticed her, because he called over some others. They were on their way to us when we drove off."

"Damn it." I slammed my fist against the desk top, the wooden surface cool underneath my hand. "Did all of them see you two?"

"No, just the one guy. Even he was kind of far away, though." Leaning back in his chair and using his socked feet to balance himself, Caesar smirked. "He was only suspicious because Jazmine was running away from the scene like a complete lunatic."

"Right." I closed my eyes in relief, turning back to the screen. I'd gained access to the full site and was already searching through the A's, Jazmine's name nowhere in sight. "They've probably got the car out the river already, and they're going to trace her license plate back to her. When her body doesn't wash up, they're going to believe she's dead anyways."

"So…shouldn't we wait a few days?"

"Nope. No use in anyone snooping around." Finally seeing her name, I clicked on it, her entire medical record in front of our eyes. "They'll just figure someone went ahead and did the work for them, and instead of asking questions, they'll be glad." I shrugged. "Not like they wanted her alive anyways." I glanced at Caesar, the box he was grasping registering in my mind. "What is that?"

"Huh? Oh, just a ring. For Cindy."

I raised my eyebrows. "Is this really the right time for that?" I noticed the look Caesar shot me and fell silent.

"Is there ever a right time?" His voice sounded ashen. "Huey, I love her. I'm not saying that we have to get married right away. I just want her to know that when this whole mess clears up, that's what I want. And I hope it's what she wants as well."

"Good point." I massaged my temples. I'd already trained myself not to think past the present, but I could tell it wasn't as easy for everyone else to do. I tapped the desk with my fingertips before letting my fingers position themselves along the keyboard. "Alright. Time of death."

I noticed Caesar check his watch in the corner of my eye. "It was 8:59 when I ran her off the bridge. I took the battery out so I wouldn't forget."

"Right." I typed, my eyes on the screen. "Jazmine Elizabeth Alston, born September 9, 2000, 6:23 am. Died…" I swallowed. "September 9, 2022, 8:59 pm."

Just like that, Jazmine was with the rest of us in the world of the departed. I was just relieved that it wasn't the actual case.

* * *

_May 13, 2018  
Jazmine_

_Caesar was supposed to meet us at our lockers that morning, but he never showed._

_"You know, maybe he got detention again," I tried, unsuccessfully, to convince Cindy. "There's no need to freak out over it."_

_"Freak out? FREAK OUT?" Cindy's eyes, as blue as the sky that afternoon, were as wide as full moons. "Jazmine, Loni Anderson got gunned down with her parents in their own home two days ago! They're doing all these random searches, asking questions…" Her hand gripped my arm, and her nails dug into my skin. "What if they're questioning Caesar? What if he's giving them the wrong answers? Jazmine, you know he isn't that religious, he isn't going to lie about that!"_

_"He's _fine_," I told her, although I already knew that something didn't feel right. I knew he wasn't skipping; truancy was much more a serious crime than before, especially since they wanted kids where they could be easily tracked. "Maybe he had a doctor's appointment. He was getting over the flu."_

_"He would've told me!" Tears were dancing on Cindy's lashes and I felt my heart ache for her. "He wouldn't just disappear!"_

_"We'll stop by his house on the way home if we don't see him at lunch, alright?" I shook my head, trying to smile. "Come on, it's no big deal."_

_"Easy for you to say," Cindy spat, shaking her glossy blond curls. "You aren't the one being questioned all the time. You're the Catholic one-"_

_"Just shut up." I hated bringing religion into conversations, being that it was practically being used as a tool to destroy the country. Not to mention, something that Huey had despised…_

_Huey…I felt my own eyes begin to well, and before I knew it, both Cindy and I were hugging, our books on the floor, our sobs echoing in the empty hallway._

_We got detention that afternoon for "lingering", but that wasn't what made us break down. What had us was when fifteen minutes in, Cindy was called out into the hallway. When she came back in, her eyes red and her nose running, I already knew without her having to tell me that he was gone._

* * *

_September 10, 2022  
Huey_

"These are sum stale ass Golden Grahams!"

"Then nigga, go to the store and get yo own damn cereal!" I snapped across the room to Riley, who was in an armchair, wearing a pair of basketball shorts, and stuffing his face. I focused on the newspaper in front of me, my eyes narrowing. "And cut the damn TV down!"

"Man, we playing Call of Duty!" Hiro, along with our friend Maya Johansen, were laughing at the game, while Cairo, Cindy, and Caesar talked about something on Cindy's laptop. "Stop having such an attitude!"

"I don't have an attitude!" I roared back, whirling around. "I just want to read the damn paper without-"

My words trailed off into nothing and I froze, as did everyone else as they noticed the figure in the doorway. For a moment, there was only silence.

Then, Cindy spoke.

"Jazmine." She put on a small smile, standing up and holding out her arms towards the mulatto who stood in the doorway, her expression guarded. "You're awake. I'm so glad."

"Thanks." Jazmine's tone was dry, her green eyes colder than I'd ever remembered them being. Her hands were jammed in the pockets of the light gray sweatpants she was wearing, her dark blue T shirt bagging at her waist. Her hair was slightly damp still, curling loosely down her back. I wondered how long she'd been getting her hair to even do that.

The room felt too small, and I wondered if I was the only one who sensed. As soon as Caesar coughed to break the silence, I was sure that I wasn't.

"Jazmine." He patted the cushion on the sofa beside him. "You wanna sit down?"

Jazmine stiffened, leaning against the wall. "Not really."

I knew that Caesar's efforts were all in vain, especially when I saw Jazmine's eyebrow furrow. "Aw, Jazz. Come on-"

"No, _you _come on!" Jazmine suddenly snapped, causing Caesar to flinch. Maya jumped, while Duey managed to look annoyed. "You're supposed to be dead!" She stopped to take a breath before glancing around the room, her eyes lingering on me for the longest. I didn't move. "You're _all _supposed to be dead! Are you fucking kidding me?!"

"Jazmine-" Caesar tried.

"NO!" She exploded, stomping her foot, her eyes blazing. "Don't lie to me! I almost died yesterday, and there's people looking for me, and then I'm dragged to Chicago and I don't even know why-" She paused, taking a deep breath. Her face was flushed. "Do you even know what I've been through?"

"Jazmine, you've got a fever," Cindy said, eyeing her with concern. "You need to relax-"

"She doesn't," I heard myself say. Everyone, as well as Jazmine, looked over at me. "She's mad." I cleared my throat. "And she has the right to be-"

"Ya damn right I have the right to be!" She yelled, advancing on me. "Huey? You of all people? _I thought you died_!"

"Yo, chill the hell out!" Maya snapped back, her own tawny brown eyes narrowed. "Who are you to come yelling in here like you own the place, demanding shit? Sit down somewhere."

Jazmine's fists clenched. "Who the _fuck _are you?" She ground out. Maya rose to her feet, her own fists balled up.

"Bitch-"

"Alright, alright!" I yelled as everyone began to draw sides; Duey and Cairo jumped up behind Maya while Caesar and Cindy glared at the trio. Hiro sat alone on the couch, torn. Riley, with his dumbass, was laughing on the opposite end of the table. "Everybody sit down, shut up, and listen up! We can't be having this shit in here!"

"_This _is the girl you were so hung up on getting here, Huey?" Maya shot at me, her ponytail bobbing behind her. "This spoiled, selfish, pretentious-"

"Don't play me! I don't even know your ass!" Jazmine shot back. Maya snorted.

"Good! Give me my pants back!"

"Maya, shut up," I commanded; she looked up at me with a mixture of surprise and hurt. "Jazmine, keep your damn pants on and stop snapping at us, I am not in the mood."

Jazmine's hands moved away from the waistband of her sweats, where she'd obviously been about to rip off the pants, no doubt to throw them in Maya's face. To say Jazmine had toughened up in the past few years I'd seen her would be an understatement.

"Now," I said quietly, the room once again silent. "We'll explain everything, alright?" I looked around, my eyes falling back on her. "We'll tell you anything you want to know."

"So sit down. You ain't gonna do shit," Maya mumbled under her breath. Cindy elbowed her.

Jazmine shot Maya a look. "I'm fine right here. Thanks for the concern," She spat. Crossing her arms, she leveled me with a pointed stare.

"What am I doing here?" She asked, her voice a tad bit softer. I straightened.

"Caesar brought you here because I asked him to."

Jazmine's eyebrows drew up in surprise. "Why?"

"Because you were in danger."

"From _what_." Jazmine shook her head. "I've been hearing that everywhere for practically the last twenty four hours, and I fail to see any danger."

"Oh, right." I had to work to keep the sarcasm out of my voice. "That's why the police were raiding your place, right?"

Jazminefaltered. "How did you find out about that? Wait, what, hold up." She held up a hand. "How are you even here to tell me this? Once again, let me say, you're supposed to be _dead_."

"I know." I rubbed my forehead with my palm. "As you can see, I'm not. None of us are."

"Then why-"

"Because, Jazmine," I couldn't help but snap. "The government wanted us dead anyway-"

"Why?" Jazmine shook her head. "None of this is making any sense!"

"Look." I glared at her. "While you were busy being sheltered by your Christian daddy, and using your religion to save yourself, the rest of us were going through a pretty tough time. Excuse me for not making any sense."

"Wow, okay!" Jazmine threw up her hands. "Sorry that we have different beliefs, Huey! Sorry the government decided to go postal and choose Christianity as the official religion! I apologize that I lucked out and you didn't! I'm sorry! And don't you _dare _bring my dad into this!"

"I'm not trying to!" I smacked my palm against my forehead. "Have you always been this impossible to talk to?"

"Have you always been this much of a _liar_?"

"Huey, Jazmine, stop." Caesar cleared his throat, and we all looked at him. He had his diplomatic face on. "Jazmine, when Congress started passing all these laws that began allowing things that went against freedom of speech, against our constitutional right of privacy, and against our rights as people, that's when the country started going out of hand. You know that."

I watched Jazmine nod slowly, her features softening. Caesar went on.

"People started rebelling. We all knew it wasn't right to allow this, but there was nothing we could do about it. They had the FBI, the police, the government on their side. People were killed, dying to protest for our rights. One of them was Huey's grandfather."

I saw Jazmine shoot me a glance but I avoided her eyes, instead focusing on Caesar as well.

"The government was already supporting the idea of "religious cleansing", and they knew Mr. Freeman was a Christian. Only, Huey had made it blatantly obvious to a lot of people that he was an atheist-"

"I prefer "non-religious"," I cut in. Caesar rolled his eyes.

"Right. Non-religious then. Whatever." He looked back towards Jazmine. "Jazmine, Huey faked his and Riley's deaths so that no one would come looking for them when they came here to Chicago to live with their aunt. About two years later, Huey came to get me."

Jazmine blinked. "So, you being in that accident at the hospital was a lie?"

Caesar winced at the way she said "lie". "Yeah. I came here, with Huey and Riley. Hiro came about two months later, after graduation. Cairo and Duey were already here when he got here." His eyes softened and he wrapped an arm around Cindy. She squeezed his hand. "Cindy came from college out in California to be here. We acted as if she died in a plane crash in the Caribbean."

Everyone was silent, the only sound being Riley smacking his lips, still eating his Golden Grahams. Jazmine's eyes lowered to the floor, and she bit her lip.

"So last night, you came for me." She lifted her head. "How come?"

Caesar nodded towards me. "Ask him."

Jazmine looked at me, her eyes moist. "Huey-"

I sighed. "I didn't want you to be involved. I knew it would be best for you if you didn't know what was going on, if you weren't a part of it. If I would've known you'd wind up in danger yourself…I would've gotten you myself, earlier, but…" My voice trailed off when I notice the tears beginning to fall down her face.

"Huey." She repeated, her voice small, sad. "Am…am I dead, too?"

I knew, without asking, that she'd caught on. That somehow she knew that we'd rigged the system, fixed it so that it appeared as if her existence was no more. I nodded.

"Yeah."

Jazmineclosed her eyes, swiping at them with her sleeve. "I died last night."

There was no question in her words.

"Yes," I whispered.

She spoke again.

"I…I can't go back." Once again it wasn't a question, but a realization. I shook my head. No one moved. No one breathed.

"No."

Jazmine nodded, swallowing. "Okay." She looked up, and her eyes were once again angry. "Fine."

With that, she turned on her heel and disappeared from the room. I heard her stomping up the stairs, followed by the slamming of a door. Everyone exchanged glances.

"So, should someone go talk to her?" Maya asked, uncomfortable. I shook my head, resting my elbow on the table, chin in my hand.

"No." I glanced up at the ceiling, imagining her sitting up in one of the rooms, crying. Alone."Jazmine handles things her own way. She'll accept it soon."

I'd left her alone for too long. I wondered if I'd done the right thing, keeping her out of the loop for so long. Knowing what her dad was killed for, why her mom was dead, I should've known that they'd think she knew something, whether or not she was involved.

I wondered still if I was doing the right thing, involving her now.

"Just leave her alone for a while." I glanced towards the window, the sunlight streaming in and leaving a bright patch on the floor. "Just a little while longer."

* * *

_The pace is gonna speed up. I swear.  
Thanks for reading! :D_

_-Kelsey_


	5. Chapter Four

_You know those boring, action lacking chapters that are mainly in there to set up things for future chapters? Yeah, this is definitely on of those. Don't say I didn't warn you._

_Thanks to Shadw, MizzC, and DarkSmile for the reviews. I'd say more, but I pretty much ignored my boyfriend's calls to finish this chapter, the poor guy. So I think I should call him back now..._

_Disclaimer: I don't own the Boondocks._

* * *

Old Soul

Chapter Three

_Hiro_

We're the resistance.

Everytime there's a protest, a petition, or a riot of any kind here in Chicago, we're most likely going to be there. If it's not all of us, then at least some of us are present. We spend our days researching, reading, studying law. Well, except for Fridays.

Okay, we're supposed to do that on Fridays as well but shit, I need a day off. Being a menace to society is hard work.

We have a network; there's an entire community of us where if we need to watch each other's backs, we're on top of it. Most of our street, the majority of the population of the windy city, are either refugees, protesters, or in hiding. It's hard to pick us out from the others, when we have the resources to keep ourselves so well hidden. But we're all here.

I'd been reluctant to join when Caesar came back to Woodcrest about three Junes ago and offered me a place; I'd just graduated High School as Valedictorian and on top of that was already set to go to MIT. I didn't want to completely jeopardize my future just to go play "rebel". Only when I took the time to consider how putting my skills against the government could help make things right, did I come.

My job was easy. I hooked up the place with some cutting edge technology (which practically blew my savings) as well as shared my general knowledge with everyone else on governmental code breaking. Before I knew it, I was forging passports, creating death certificates, and making new identities…all from under one roof.

I'm not going to lie. There's a certain thrill, a certain exhilaration from being nearly untouchable that makes the blood rush in your veins. That makes you feel even more alive than when you were a part of society. My records may say I'm dead and gone, but I've never felt more alive.

At least, that's how it is until the reality of a situation catches up to you. Our reality?

We only have one chance. After it's gone, there's no turning back.

* * *

_Jazmine_

I wanted to hate them all. Really, I did. Only I couldn't.

I locked myself in what I assumed to be a spare room for the rest of the day, waiting until the light that streamed in through the open blinds faded into darkness. I was aware that I hadn't bathed in almost two days, but I couldn't bring myself to care. Instead, I tiptoed down the long hallway on the second floor before slowly creeping down the stairs, my ears on high alert. As I reached the third stair from the ground floor, I heard voices.

"-It's probably going to be as bad as it was last year. All the police, the hoses…it's like the Civil Rights movement all over again."

I stepped back into the shadows as Huey and Caesar walked past, their arms filled with brown bags. The aroma of Chinese food reached my nose, and I felt my mouth water. I backed up before either one of them would happen to glance up and notice me, or before my stomach could betray me and make me go downstairs to talk to anyone. Going back up to the second floor, I ran around the corner-

-only to smack right into Cairo.

"Damn!" He yelled, grabbing his forehead; I stumbled back, grabbing onto the railing for support. "Can you ever walk two steps without injuring someone?"

Straightening, I glared at him. "It's called an accident."

"Whatever." Scowling, he gave me a quick glance over, his nose wrinkling. I frowned, noticing the purplish bruise around his left eye. "What are you doing?"

I paused. What _was _I doing? "Nothing." I scratched my head, feeling awkward. "Looking…for the…bathroom?"

Cairo nodded straight down the hallway towards a door, slightly ajar, that was right beside the room I'd just come out of. I felt my face heat up. "Way to be observant."

"Thanks," I replied curtly, already spinning on my heel. Before I could take two steps, he spoke again.

"I don't like you."

My response was instantaneous. "I don't care."

"I'm aware." Cairo rubbed a hand across his head, his hazel eyes staring at me with an odd sort of curiosity. "I guess I shouldn't say I don't like you. I don't even know you," he explained. "It's just that you came off as…a brat."

I snorted. "Yeah, because I'm not used to being ran off a bridge, chased by the police, and snatched up by strangers on motorcycles and dragged to another city, where I'm told I can't ever go back to my home. What's your excuse?"

To my surprise, he laughed. It was a booming laugh that took up all the space in the hallway; one of those genuine, appreciative laughs that came from the gut.

"I guess," He admitted, shuffling a bit. "That you have a point." He sniffed gently, suddenly frowning. "And a lack of clean clothes."

I rolled my eyes. "Sorry. Let me just take my visa down the street to the mall and see how long it takes for someone to arrest my ass." When he chuckled again, I felt my lips form a smile in spite of myself. I had the right to be mad at most people right about now, but he wasn't someone who had done anything to me. There was no point showing any hostility towards him.

"Look, I'll lend you some things," He offered. When I raised my eyebrow he shrugged. "Well, it's going to be too big, but it's that or go ask Maya for more clothes since she's the closest to your size. And I don't think she's too fond of your right now, with you threatening her relationship with her man."

"What?"

"You know…" When his words faded and all I did was blink in response he sighed. "Maya likes Huey. Couldn't you tell?"

It was pretty obvious, but it wasn't my problem. "Even if I were a "threat"-" I responded, making air quotes and rolling my eyes. "-I have more pressing issues than trying to scam on someone else's man."

"Aye, I'm just telling you how she feels." He shrugged again. "She's really cool, once you get to know her."

"I'll take your word for it." Something told me that he thought Maya was more than "cool", so I let it go. He smiled.

"Jazmine, right?"

"Yup."

"I don't believe we've been formally introduced." He stuck out his hand. "Cairo Evans. You punched me in the face last night."

I grinned, shaking his hand. "Jazmine DuBois," I responded. "It was my pleasure."

"Not only yours." I raised an eyebrow. "Huey never did get me back for head butting him that one time. I don't think I've seen him laugh as hard as when he saw my eye this morning."

"Aw."

"Don't worry. You get over it." He nodded. "Now, let's get you some clothes."

* * *

_Cairo_

So _this _was the infamous Jazmine DuBois.

I couldn't help but observe her as we went downstairs later that night, after I'd found her some basketball shorts and a T shirt that I'd outgrown and never got rid of. Even though all I'd done so far was get her a towel and a washcloth, hand her the clothes through a crack in the bathroom door so she could change, and show her around the house, she was already starting to grow on me. Sure, she still seemed pretty irritated, but it was only to be expected.

When we reached the kitchen, everyone but Huey, Maya, and Hiro were already gone. I could feel my face heat up as Maya glanced my way, giving me a soft smile. When her eyes drifted over to Jazmine, however, her eyes hardened.

Coincidentally, so did Huey's.

"Why are you doing wearing Cairo's clothes?" He asked in a suspicious voice. I couldn't help but laugh as Jazmine folded her arms over her chest.

"Not smelling like a trashcan anymore, thank you very much." She put a finger to her lip, as if thinking. "Wait, why am I talking to you, again?"

Huey rolled his eyes. "We're not in kindergarten anymore, Jazmine. I think we can manage to have a civilized conversation without sounding like it, don't you?"

Jazmine shrugged. "Nope."

"Jazmine, I'm glad you're here," Hiro suddenly spoke up, grinning; his brown eyes lit up behind his glasses. "It seems like just yesterday I was tutoring you math."

Jazmine walked over, fist pumping him. "Sup?"

"Wait, you can talk to him but not _me_?" Huey asked. "What the hell kind of mess is that?"

"Wait, what was that I heard?" Jazmine glanced around the room in mock confusion. "A bug?"

Hiro shook his head, ignoring them. "Your stitches in your forehead look good," He noted, examining her with a serious face. "And you don't seem sick…"

"Of course not." Huey was glaring at her. "She has an immune system stronger than the Cloverfield monster."

"I'll take that as a compliment," Jazmine said, plopping down in a chair beside Hiro's. "So, what's up, Hiro? What does one usually do around here other than play dead?" When her words were met by silence she glanced around, her smile faltering. "Get it? Play dead? Because technically we're all…" She sighed, flopping back in her seat. "Forget it."

"Ignore her," Huey muttered, going back to his book. "It's her way of coping."

"Oh, shut up."

"Actually, that's what I wanted to talk to you about, Jazz," Hiro said hurriedly, before Huey could open his mouth to respond. "Your new identity."

Jazmine froze. "My…what?"

"Well," Hiro explained patiently; I stepped past them, going into the refrigerator to find the leftovers. In the corner of my eye I noticed Maya stomp out the kitchen, no doubt wanting to escape the same room as Jazmine. "We've got to get you new paperwork if you're going to be able to venture out into the world ever again. You can't just hide out in here."

"Paperwork like…"

"You know, a birth certificate. Social Security number. Passport, visa-"

"You can _do _that?" Jazmine's emerald eyes widened with fascination, all previous traces of bitterness being swept off her face. Hiro nodded, equally excited.

"Yup! I can create an entirely new identity for you. Problem is…" He stared at her, biting his lip. Jazmine frowned.

"What?"

"Well…" When Hiro didn't respond, Jazmine's frowned deepened.

"What's wrong?"

"Well." Hiro rocked back in his chair, putting his fingertips together. "Do you think you could dye your hair?"

I jerked suddenly, my head banging the top of the refrigerator. Huey's paper fell from his face a few inches, his eyes curious. Jazmine stared.

"…seriously?"

"For serious. Some colored contacts would probably help, too." Hiro at least had the sense to look apologetic. "It's not that it's mandatory, it's just that your hair is really a unique color. If anyone recognized you by it, it would be a little more difficult on our part-"

"Hiro, I'm not even _from _here. I've never been here in my life!" Jazmine offered a tiny, wavering smile. "Couldn't I just wear a wig? Or maybe wear a hat?"

"Jazmine, you've got to go to the DMV tomorrow to have your picture taken for another identification card. I can't forge that." Hiro shook his head. "I don't want you having red hair in the picture and black hair in reality-"

"My hair's not red…" Jazmine grabbed the ends of it, frowning as she stared. "Wait a minute…you want me to dye it _black_?" She sat up. "The hell?"

"What else is going to dye over it evenly?" Hiro shook his head again. "Damn, girl, get your priorities straight!"

Jazmine stood up, nearly knocking over her chair. Obviously, Hiro's words weren't the right ones. "Excuse me. I'm still trying to figure them out."

None of us moved to stop her as she stormed out the kitchen.

* * *

_Riley_

I understood that she was going through a rough time. And I could fully comprehend that she was mad.

But yeah. Bitch need to learn how to take a shower in a timely manner.

"Jazmine! Aye!" I yelled, banging on the bathroom door. "I could hear the water running, feel the heat that seeped from the other side. "Hurry up! I gotta pee!"

Cindy came around the corner, dancing to something she was listening to on her iPod. Snatching it out of her hand so that the earphones flew out of her ears, I held it out of her reach. "Get Jazmine out the bathroom! Before I go and pee on the roof!"

"Gimme my iPod back!" Cindy yelled, stomping her foot.

"No!"

"Give it back!"

"NO!"

"I WANT IT NOW!"

"JAZMINE! I HAVE TO USE THE BATHROOM!"

"What the hell-" Huey started, before coming around the corner and seeing us. He looked bored. "Well, don't let me interrupt you two." He turned around, trying to be a little bitch and leave us there.

"Huey, get yo friend out the bathroom!" I snapped, my patience already thin. I slapped Cindy's iPod back into her hand and she punched me in the arm before softly knocking on the door.

"Jazmine?" She asked, her cheek pressed to the door. "Are you alright in there?"

No response.

"Jazmine?" She tried again. When the three of us waited around, only to hear nothing, she sighed. "Jazmine, come _on_!"

Still, nothing.

"Back up," Huey demanded. Cindy and I barely had time to move before he was launching himself towards the door, kicking it in. There was a loud tearing sound as the door left its hinges, followed by a crash as it hit the sink in the bathroom, sliding towards the floor. Huey climbed over the door, yanking back the shower curtain.

The only thing there was the steady streaming of the water running from the shower head. Huey groaned as Cindy gasped and he fanned some steam out of his face. He looked mad as hell.

"Damn it!" He came out the bathroom, looking around. "Where the hell is she?"

"Look." Cindy pointed towards the window right between the sink and the bathroom. The window which was open, was just large enough where a small person could fit through.

"Move!" I yelled, running into the bathroom, unzipping my pants. When I heard Cindy and Huey making noises of disgust, I glared at them. "Can't a nigga get some privacy round hurr?"

* * *

_Huey_

That's it. I'd had it.

It wasn't my fault that Jazmine was being stubborn. No one told her to punch Cairo or Caesar in the face, and no one had told her to hold herself up in _my_room the entire day. It wasn't my fault she had to dye her hair. And there was no way I was going to put up with her putting the rest of us at risk by sneaking out windows. If she didn't want to be here that badly, then fine. Hiro could get her paperwork for her, and she could be on her way. We didn't have time for her to be acting like such a baby.

Cindy had offered to get everyone to search the house for me but I knew it would be useless. She wouldn't be anywhere in it. So I told her to hold off, instead heading downstairs, the house key in my pocket. Maya was the closest to the front door; she gave me a questioning glance as I reached it.

"I'll be right back," I told her, opening the door. She nodded, returning to the TV.

I shut the door behind me, locking it. I walked about midway down the hallway, reaching the side door that led up to the roof, Unlocking it, I gently pulled it open, only to have a big gust of cold air smack me in the face.

Oh, well. They didn't call it the windy city for nothing.

I slowly ascended the steps, my bare arms already starting to chill. I shoved my hands into the pockets of my jeans, my eyes already narrowed as I got to the top of the roof. I could already see an unfamiliar figure on the opposite side, her hair fanning in the wind.

"You'd better be glad the alarm wasn't on yet!" I yelled at her; I gained a bit of satisfaction in the way she jerked, frightened. "Then you really would've been scared!"

Jazmine slowly turned around from where she was leaning over the roof. As I stomped over to her, every furious word I could think of from stupid to asinine poised on my lips, I got a glance at her eyes and stopped.

Her eyes were filled with such sadness, such anguish, that I couldn't even bother yelling at her. I felt my thoughts flee from my head, all anger fading from inside me. All I could focus on were those eyes.

"When I heard that you had died, I felt as if a part of me died, too." Her words, spoken so softly that I could barely make them out, were carried away in the wind. She sank down to the ground, her knees underneath her. Her palms rested on her knees, her eyes on them. "I'd just lost my mother, and to lose you, too…it was harder than anything I've ever had to go through in my life."

"Jazmine." I crouched down, balancing in front of her with my hands resting on the pavement below us. I ignored the impatient honking of cars and the rest of the noise that came from the Chicago nightlife that were erupting around us. Instead, I focused on her face; the way her nose pinched up as she tried not to cry, the way her temples throbbed. "I'm-"

"No." She held up her palm. "Let me finish."

I fell silent.

"Huey, I lost my mother, and then you." Her voice was surprisingly strong. "I learned that you died, and it made it so much more difficult. My dad died two years later, and Cindy and Caesar were gone…I had no one. I was alone." She shook her head, bowing it against the wind. "You of all people should know how that feels."

I did. I knew it all too well, and I hated that she had to feel that pain as well.

"I tried to get on with my life. I was in college, I was supporting myself. It was hard, but I got through it. And then, in one night, I'm picked up out of my routine and dumped into something completely out of my element. And you all expect me to just suck it up and pick up the pieces?"

I rocked back on my heels, sitting down and staring into the sky. "It's not just you, Jazmine," I told her quietly. "We all had to adjust. You think I asked for my granddad to die? You think I asked to have to come to Chicago?"

"No." Jazmine shook her head. "You didn't." When I got ready to reply, she cut her eyes at me. "But you always had choices."

I stopped. "What?"

"A choice, Huey." As I stared at her, baffled, she went on. "When your grandfather died and you found out you had to move here, you chose to change your records and not tell me. When Caesar, Cindy, Hiro, and everyone else came to stay with you, it was by _their_ choice. I didn't get to choose."

"What, we should've left you in Woodcrest?" My voice, despite my attempt to control it, rose. "Do you know where you'd be if you were still there right now, Jazmine? Dead, or in jail. Either way-"

"Either way," Jazmine snapped. "You took it upon yourself to decide what I would and wouldn't know. You acted as if you knew what was best for me, even when I had no choice to be ignorant of what was going on. You lied to me, instead of telling me the truth and letting me decide what to do with the information."

I was at a loss for words. "I was trying to protect you-"

"Well, it didn't work. Either way, the police were still coming for me. The sad part is, I still haven't grasped why they did." Jazmine laughed; it sounded hollow and flat. "When we were younger and you told me Santa Claus didn't exist, you were trying to protect me from being hurt by lies. Our entire friendship you were never afraid of telling me the truth, no matter how badly it hurt me. Then, when you get to something that's more important than anything else, you lie to me." She brought her knees from under her, resting her back on the railing that bordered the roof. "Face it. You're just really good at hurting me."

"I don't mean to." I groaned. "Jazmine, I don't know what to tell you. I'm sorry I hurt you and I'm sorry I lied to you, but what else do you want me to say?" When she didn't answer I threw up my hands. "Either way, you're here now. Why does it matter?"

She stared at me, her expression blank. "I don't know.," She asked sarcastically. "Why does it matter?"

"Damn it!" I rose to my feet, glaring down at her. "I don't always know the right way to do things here! I'm trying to figure out things as much as you are, or Cindy, or Caesar, or anyone else here! You think we have all the answers, or that we'd be living like this is we had a choice?"

"You're not comprehending, Huey!" Jazmine got up as well, her fists at her sides. "You _all _chose to come here, one way or another! You chose to let them all in on your little plan so that they had options, while you left me in the dark! I was your best friend, and I didn't have any idea of what the fuck was going on!" Her chest was visibly rising and falling, her shoulders squared. "If you would've just told me back when we were younger what you were doing, I would've slept at night! I would've known you were alright somewhere, and when I got the chance I would've _decided_ to come here myself!"

Her words rang in the silence. I could hear someone laughing down below, and I noticed a streetlight flicker out in the corner of my eye. In front of me, Jazmine was shaking.

"I would've dropped everything Huey, just to come here with you guys." She swallowed, fighting back tears. I felt that familiar swooping sensation in my stomach as I noticed them. "I wouldn't care what risk I was taking, I wouldn't even complain about having to fake my death. I would've come." Through her tears, she still managed to look angry. "But I never had a _choice_."

I watched her as she started crying; it wasn't the angry, bitter tears from earlier that day, but the tears from something deeper, something that I knew I couldn't just fix like it was a man-made. Knowing that made me feel more useless than ever before. I didn't know that what I decided for her would have the consequences they did. I thought I'd been sparing her all the pain, when I'd probably caused more of it than necessary.

When it came to speech writing or organizing protests, there was nothing easier. Here, where there was only the two of us, simply findign a way to console her had to be the hardest task I'd ever done.

"I'm sorry," I whispered again. I knew that the words, after all she'd told me, were useless. There was nothing that I could say to make her realize just how sorry I truly was.

That was why I slowly wrapped my arms around her shoulders, pulling her into my chest. For a moment I felt her tense up, but after a few seconds it was as if a dam inside of her broke, and she was sobbing into my chest, her hands resting on my shoulders. I held her tighter, as if I could somehow squeeze the pain out of her.

I don't know how long we stood there underneath that night sky, but after a while Jazmine lifted her head. Her nose was red and puffy, her eyes swollen. I stared down at her, holding my breath and waiting for her to say something.

"I'm sorry I snuck out of the bathroom window." She let her head fall back against my chech. I shrugged.

"I'm sorry I tried to decide how you should live for you." I could feel Jazmine smiling, and I couldn't even see it.

"I'm sorry I threw up on you."

"I'm sorry I didn't get you a birthday present."

"I'm sorry," Jazmine said. "That I yelled at everyone. You guys were trying to help."

The words ran out of my mouth before I could stop them. "I'm sorry I convinced Caesar to run you off that bridge."

We both froze, and I swallowed as Jazmine slowly lifted her head, her eyes narrowed into tiny slits.

"...what?"

* * *

_Riley: Damn, Kelsey! Can we gets a little more action out dis bitch?  
Me: I'm workin on it! DAMN._

_Thanks for the read! Please review :)  
-Kelsey_


	6. Chapter Five

_Wooo! Another chapter!!! :O_

_Today wasn't all that great, but writing this helped a lot. I have an aunt who's not expected to live past wednesday, so that's sad. not to mention, me/grandparents I live with are having some conflict of our own (grandparents: over-conservative baptists, me: much more liberal free thinker). They're not bending on some things and neither am I. We're all too stubbron for our own good. Anyways, big thanks to Shadw, MizzC, DarkSmile, Silversketch, and Darelle The Author for the reviews! :D They are, as usual, much appreciated._

_To answer one of your questions (since I'm too lazy to message, sorry :P), I don't know If I'd consider this story an AU or not. As for Maya, she's a character I invented and I kind of use her as needed. In my other story she grew up with Huey and the others, but in this one she wasn't from Woodcrest. But you'll find out more about her as the story goes on, so just sit tight. :D_

_Disclaimer: I don't own the Boondocks._

* * *

Old Soul

Chapter Five

_September 11, 2022  
Jazmine_

It's hard to pretend.

It felt like that was all I'd been doing; when I first woke up in my new room, which Caesar, Cindy, and Cairo had worked hard to clear of their junk the night before, to see Cindy and Maya bending over me with a box of hair dye, I didn't even make a fuss. An hour later, when I was presented with a pair of jeans as well as a box of color contacts, Maya scowling, I took them from her hands, offering her a soft thanks. When all of us, minus Hiro and Duey, piled into the white van Caesar and I had followed to the house just two days ago, I didn't even bother to ask where we were going. Instead, I focused on my new, slightly curly, dark hair, my now blue eyes re-reading the words printed on one of the many forms Hiro had armed me with before we'd left.

_Whitney Marie Scott._

I snorted. The name Whitney didn't suit me at all, which I knew to be a point in hiro assigning it to me.

I ignored the laughter and conversation around me, focusing on the gray clouds outside, and the cars that either speed past or inched away at a snail's pace. I shivered inside my borrowed black jacket, curling my fingers into a fist inside the pockets. I missed my leather jacket.

"Huey, what happened to your eye?" I heard Maya ask, her voice breaking through my thoughts. I kept my eyes trained on my reflection in the window, staring at the reflection of a woman who I barely knew even when I felt his eyes burning into me through the rear view mirror. He was driving, Maya in the front passenger seat, while Cindy, Caesar, and Riley shared the middle seats. Only Cairo and I occupied the back, and thankfully he wasn't trying to force conversation on me.

"Payback," He said quietly. Maya shut her mouth at his final tone, and I leaned back in my seat, grateful. My right knuckles were slightly bruised from the night before, and all the bags of ice in the world didn't help them. At least they didn't hurt, unlike the mark I'd left on Huey's face, which I was sure did.

I was surprised when instead of arriving at the DMV, we pulled into the parking lot of a mall. I felt my eyebrows draw up, but said nothing. At least, not until everyone was making to get out, which was when I turned to Cairo. "Why are we here? I thought we were going to the DMV?"

"It's closed," He said absent-mindedly, his hazel eyes following Maya, who was outside the van, laughing at something that Huey told her. "Sunday."

I nodded, somehow not being able to believe I'd even forgotten that. Had Jazmine Alston really had her last birthday, as well as her death, two days ago? I felt something in my chest tightening, and it was only after Cairo tapped my arm that I noticed Cindy calling me.

At least, sort of.

"Whitney," She said slowly, her _natural_ blue eyes narrowed towards me. "Come on! I know you hate malls still…" Her voice trailed off, and she tiled her head to one side, Caesar coming to her side. "Wait. Do you still hate malls?"

I nodded slowly, still trying to place Whitney with myself. Whitney. Whtiney, Whitney. Right.

"Yeah." I scooted out of the van, hopping down on the hard pavement. Since no one had my shoe size in the house I was still wearing my black sneakers from the other day, which even after a wash in the washing machine smelled like algae and pond water. "Completely."

I wanted to make some wise crack to my ex best friend, but I knew it was something Jazmine would say. According to ever document I had, I was no longer her. I was Whitney Scott, who was born January 5, 2000. At least Hiro had ever so kindly kept my age the same. That was about it. Instead of adding more, I fell silent again, falling in step beside Cindy and Caesar, who were arguing.

"Do you know how hard it is to even get those anymore?" Caesar was asking, his voice a bit like a whine.

"Well, I'm not doing it without them!" Cindy shot back, her shoulders square. I made a face, staring straight ahead for the revolving entrance doors.

Ew. I didn't even want to _know_ what they were talking about.

"Damn, can you walk like you've been here before?" Riley suddenly spoke up, pushing past me, his pants bagging way too low and his hoodie way too long. "Tryin to have me outside dis bitch all day. I gots shit to do."

"Riley, you ain't going no damn where but right back in the house to play Madden," Huey retorted, causing everyone to crack up. I offered a tiny smile as Riley rolled his eyes, waving his hand.

"Y'all sum pussies…Ima be in foot locker." He disappeared through the throng of people in the main atrium as soon as we entered.

"Don't go too far!" Huey yelled after him.

I was so busy thinking about some alternate reality Jazmine, still in Woodcrest, just waking up to brew herself coffee and read the morning paper, that I didn't notice everyone else had left until I saw only Cindy beside me. I blinked.

"Oh, stop moping." Cindy, I could tell, was trying extra hard to repair our friendship; she took my hand, her eyes already lighting up at the various stores and eateries around us. "We've got two hours, and you need new clothes."

I snorted. "I believe you need a thing called money to afford them."

Yes. I was back.

Cindy rolled my eyes and smacked her lips, as if my problems were so little. "Girl, I got this! What you trippin for?"

I shook my head, my eyes wide. "Cindy, you can't-"

"I can, and I will. Shit, when's the last time we spent a day together, shopping?" She smiled. "And when I say shopping I mean me trying on clothes while you read a magazine. You only liked shopping if it was for-"

"-Shoes," I finished, smiling as well. "We'd spend hours searching for clothes for you, and you only let me look for shoes for like, five minutes?"

"Girl, boo. It was more like two." She grinned. "So come on, let's go find you some stuff to wear. That new hair and those eyes?" She winked at me. "You look so hot."

I flushed. "Do not," I mumbled. Cindy shrugged.

"Suit yourself." She glanced towards some smoothie stand, where three men were standing, their eyes locked on us. When we looked their way, their gazes didn't even flicker. "But I'm sure they beg to differ."

"I'm sure I could care less."

"That's the Jaz- Whitney I know!" Cindy laughed, and somehow I couldn't help but laugh, too. "Now come on."

As the day went on, the various stores we went to seemed to fly by in a colorful blur. I mainly stood there, wondering how I'd forgotten Cindy was such a shopaholic as she dragged me to fitting room after fitting room, throwing pieces at me over the top of the door. Some things she clapped enthusiastically at while other things made her nose wrinkle in disgust. I felt kind of bad, offering such little input. But hey, she was buying. There was no excuse for me to be rude and complain.

While we were at it, Cindy managed to keep up the conversation by telling me more about my new housemates. Cairo, she said, had come with Duey after his parents had disappeared. He and Huey were basically over their previous hatred for each other, although they were still competitive against each other. Duey's own mother had died and he hadn't talked to his father since he was six, which was why he was staying with Cairo in the first place. Hiro had come after we'd graduated high school, deciding to dedicate his smarts towards helping out the resistance, and his parents were still in Woodcrest. When Cindy got to Maya, however, the conversation took a different route.

"She's such a slut," Cindy grumbled as she finished paying for our final purchases, breaking out her visa so confidently I wondered how she felt using a different persona. Every time she'd called me Whitney it had taken me forever to realize it was me she was talking to, as opposed to when I or anyone else called her by her legal name, Kirsten. How anyone could even see her as a Kirsten, I didn't even know. "All she does is attach herself to Hue…Jordan, like some flesh eating virus. And she's only nineteen."

"That's only a two year difference," I offered, feeling bad for the girl. She hardly seemed like a slut, no matter how much of a mouth she had on her. "It's not such a big deal."

"Whatever." Cindy's nose was in the air. "I don't like her."

"You wouldn't."

"She doesn't like you," Cindy told me. I shrugged.

"What else is new?"

"Whitney, come _on_."

"You come on. It's none of our business." I was getting sick of using fake names, trying to remember them all was giving me a headache. Cindy didn't let up.

"Jordan's always been your business."

"Who?" I asked, making my eyes widen in mock innocence. "I don't know a "Jordan"." I made my fingers into air quotes as I said Huey's fake name. When she smacked me in the shoulder I rubbed at it, sticking out my tongue. "Things change, Cin- Kirsten. We aren't the same people we were as teenagers. For example-" My eyes lit up as I looked across the store to see a black leather jacket, different from the one I'd previously owned, yet exactly the same. "-I used to like pink. Now, I like black leather jackets that are marked down at half price."

Cindy's eyes followed mine, her eyebrow arching. "Don't you already have one of those?"

"Yup. Only, it's kind of…un-wearable." When Cindy continued to eye the jacket warily, I sighed. "You know, soaked in river water and served with a side of throw up?"

She made a face, taking her credit card back from the cashier and adjusting the many bags she was holding, sticking it in her pocket. "Fine. Go get your size."

At least something was finally going my way.

* * *

_Caesar_

It was draw night. No one was happier about it than me.

For the past year, thanks to the power of the short straw, long straw rule we applied, I'd been stuck with a night job of stocking shelves at Target. They year before, I was a cashier at some old fabric store where an old woman would constantly come in and force me to stare at pictures of her and her twelve damn cats. Thanks to Jazmine's arrival and Duey's recent firing from his job at Wal-Mart, the straws were back out and we were surrounding the table in the dining room, eating Mexican food, waiting for Cairo to bring them to the table.

The rules were simple; there were nine straws, and seven of them were long. The two short ones meant that two people would be free to lounge around the house all day, reading and watching TV to their leisure, while the other seven meant that the rest of us would be stuck in an occupational hell. I'd been here longer than half the house's occupants, yet I always got a long straw.

_Always_.

"So, you mean we have to _work_?" Jazmine was asking innocently through a mouthful of chips and salsa. Her cheeks were puffy, her blue eyes blinking in confusion at Cindy, who sat on her left, drinking a beer. "I thought we were all dead! Why do dead people have to work?"

This caused everyone to snort into their nachos and burritos, except for Huey, who was eating a salad. "Because we don't want to be homeless dead people," He remarked, taking a sip of his own water. "Riley! Put down the beer."

"Aye, man! Dat ain't even fair!" He yelled across the table. "Ima be twenty one in March!"

"And then, you can drink," Huey shot back. Riley slouched in his chair, mumbling about old people acting like old grandpas and older brothers on a war path.

"Maya's drinking and she's younger than me!"

"Maya isn't related to me," Huey pointed out. "So she can make her own decisions." I rolled my eyes. They had the same argument every time Cairo brought back drinks from the ABC store. "If Maya jumped off a bridge naked singing the national anthem, would you do it, too?"

"If it was fun!" Riley shot back.

"Okay, I got them!" Cairo called out, rushing back into the room with nine straws; this caused everyone, including Huey and Riley's arguing asses, to shut up. I grabbed Cindy's hand, giving it a squeeze. She smiled at me.

"Alright, here's the deal. No cheating." Cairo gave us all the evil eye before sitting in his seat beside Maya, the straws lined up in his hand so that their true length couldn't be made out. We all grabbed.

And groaned.

"Damn!" Riley groaned, banging his fist against the table, a long straw in it. Cindy moaned as well. I glanced at my own straw, sighing. Oh well. I always got stuck with a job.

"Yes!"

There were two shouts of triumph in unison, and I glanced towards their sources. One was Jazmine, who was waving her straw over her head, a big grin on her face. The other was Cairo.

Everyone booed them, throwing chips at them. They both laughed, dodging them. Cindy was pouting.

"Why don't we ever get the short straws?" She whined. I kissed her forehead.

"Cause we're too cool for them." I winked at Jazmine. "Congratulations. You two get to do all the cooking and cleaning now."

Jazmine blinked. "What?"

"Stop throwin them damn chips! I'm not cleaning them up!" Huey was yelling at Riley, Maya, and Hiro, who had gotten into a war. They were ducking under the table then popping back up to launch more chips at each other. "Shit! Act like y'all got some damn sense!"

A sudden knock on the front door had us all freeze in our spots, our eyes darting back to the door. In an instant Huey was on his feet, orders clearly on his lips. "Hiro, go make sure the computer's off and the files are locked," He shot off. "Maya, go make sure nothing suspicious is out. Law books, papers…nothing to make anyone suspect we're looking into things. Duey, did anyone call today say they were stopping by?"

Duey shook his head, his long straw falling to the floor.

"Then it's no one we want to deal with right now. Jazmine-" Jazmine jerked, eyes widening. "Go upstairs."

"What?" Jazmine shook her head. "No way!"

"Jazmine, don't argue with me. You don't even have an ID or Social Security card right now. I don't want them getting suspicious for no reason."

"Who?"

"Go!" Huey demanded. Like a bullet, Jazmine jumped up, racing past him to reach the stairs. "Everybody, act calm."

I rose to my feet, watching him walk towards the front door. I could hear Jazmine's footsteps upstairs before there was the slam of a door, and all was silent. In the other room, the TV flickered off. My eyes were narrowed into slits. It was funny how back in Woodcrest, people constantly stopped by for house calls without calling. Yet in Chicago, that was practically unheard of. Not to mention, we didn't have contact with too many people outside of the resistance, and any of them would mention they were stopping by. At nine pm on a Sunday, there were few people it could be on the other side of that front door.

None of those people were anyone good.

Huey unlocked the front door before pulling it open, and sure enough, two police officers stood on the front porch. I felt the hairs stand on the back of my head.

"Good evening, officers." Huey's tone was calm, but I could sense the wariness behind it. "What's the problem?"

"We got a noise complaint." The taller officer gave Huey a glance-over, as if sizing him up. "Neighbors said that it was coming from this house." He glanced over Huey's shoulder, as if looking for something. "Can we come in?"

Huey's eyes hardened. "You gotta warrant?" He asked, all formality gone out of his tone. The officers blinked at him, caught off guard.

"Excuse me?" The first one asked. Huey nodded, his hand resting on the door, the other on the frame, so that neither one of them could pass.

"A search warrant." When they only looked at him angrily in response, Huey shrugged. "The law says that unless you guys have some kind of warrant that allows you to enter my house, I have the right as a citizen to turn you away." His glare intensified. "I'm using that right."

The second officer opened his mouth to respond but the first man elbowed him, shaking his head. I crept closer, inspecting. I could make out a tiny cross on the first officer's badge, glimmering slightly in the light from the streetlight outside.

"You're right, son. Sorry for bothering you." The first officer's eyebrows were raised, and Huey's own did the same. "Why is there a tortilla chip in your hair?"

Huey reached up to brush it out; it fell on the ground at the officer's feet. "Long story."

"Well, then. You guys make sure you keep the noise down." He gave Huey a warning look as they walked off. "If it happens again, next time we'll have a warrant."

I watched Huey slam the door shut, his fist clenched. I could see in the tense way his shoulders were, how his eyebrow was furrowed, that he was mad. "Aye, bro." When he didn't turn around I came over, clapping his back. "Come on. They're gone. It was just a noise complaint."

"There was no noise complaint." Huey shook his head and I noticed Jazmine peek her head from above the landing. I nodded and she rushed back down the stairs, her socked feet pitter pattering on the carpeted floor.

"What happened?"

"Yeah. We weren't even making any noise." Cindy came back into the room with Maya on her heels. "What was that about?"

"Not noise." I wrapped my arms around Cindy's shoulders. "Did you notice the cross on his-"

"Yeah." Huey sighed, rubbing his palm against his forehead. "That wasn't an accident. They don't ask to search your house for excessive noise. Someone must've tipped them off."

"Tipped them off for what?" Cindy asked, her voice rising. "What have we even done wrong? We don't mess with anyone!"

I was tempted to tell her how by using fake identities, manipulating Iliinois state as well as federal documents on our XP, and avoiding jail we _were _doing something wrong, but I managed to keep my mouth shut.

"Maybe they traced the computer," Maya offered, eyeing Huey with concern. Huey shrugged.

"I don't know, maybe?" He shook his head again. "Wait, no. The FBI would've come, not some bastard cops on a power trip."

"Maybe someone ratted us out," Jazmine said softly. We all looked at her. "What?" She asked when she noticed our gazes. She leaned against the stair railing, her arms over her chest. "You said that this street is majority resistance, but not everyone. Maybe one of the anti-resistance neighbors tipped them off, or one of your own opened their mouths." She shrugged. "It could happen."

"Somehow," Huey said. "I don't think that's what it was."

"Then what was it?" She asked patiently. "We were throwing our chips too loudly?"

"Bugs?" I asked. Huey shook his head.

"They'd raid the place."

"Look, I say we don't worry about it." Before Huey could open his mouth to protest I cut him off. "We don't have any evidence other than what you said, it was two guys on a power trip. Maybe they had the wrong house. Maybe we just need to keep our guard up and make sure we don't leave any loose holes. I don't think they're going to come back."

"Yeah, well if they do, they'll have a _warrant_." Huey groaned. "Maybe we should move."

"No!" Cindy, Maya, and I yelled in unison.

"Huey, calm down," Maya suggested.

"It ain't even that serious!" Cindy whined.

"Let's just wait and see what happens," I told him. Huey appeared unconvinced, but nodded.

"Fine." He head for the stairs, only turning around to narrow his eyes at Jazmine. "Wake up early," He told her. "We're going to the DMV to get your ID as soon as we can."

She nodded, her hands in her jeans. "Alright."

Huey ran up the stairs. The rest of us exchanged looks.

"What do you think they came for?" Maya asked. I felt Cindy's arms wrap around my middle. I shrugged.

"I don't know," I mumbled. "But something tells me we're going to find out."

* * *

_July 4, 2012  
Huey_

_"Huey! HUEY!" Her light, melodic voice rose over the rest of the chatter. "Watch me!"_

_I pretended to be amazed as Jazmine took off, launching off the diving board like a rocket and curling into a ball, hitting the water with a huge splash. I yawned, checking my watch and glancing into the partly clouded sky. "Nice," I commented as her head popped up to the surface, her eyes sparkling like emeralds. "Maybe next time you can just beg for attention."_

_Jazmine stuck out her tongue. "I just wanted you to watch me," She pouted, treading water. Around her, others were splashing, but I ignored them. "Aren't you getting in?"_

_"Hell no." I shook my head, my Afro swinging. "All those people's bodies in one body of water? I don't care how much chlorine is in there, I don't know where any of you people have been, and-"_

_"You people?" Jazmine mocked. "What do you mean, you people?"_

_I rolled my eyes. "Do you want a hot dog?"_

_"Ooh, yes!" Jazmine grinned at me. "I love hot dogs."_

_"You love anything that'll eventually kill you." I shook my head, turning away as some girl from our history class swam over to Jazmine, saying something to her. I walked across the grass to the deck, heading for the grill._

_I hated swimming, but Jazmine had begged me to go with her to Cindy's Independence day cookout. I had to say, it wasn't that bad. At least once you got past the bad rap music, the whole swimming thing, and all the grilled food that could send one into cardiac arrest. Hot dogs. Did anyone even _know _what was in a hot dog? That's right, no one knows for sure. It's like a surprise in every bite. Why would anyone in their right mind want to eat that shit?_

_I stepped beside Caesar, who was stuffing his face and trying to act like he didn't notice Cindy across the deck, talking to a group of guys in her pink bikini. "Don't stare at the enemy," I joked. Caesar's head snapped towards me._

_"The enemy? What?" He laughed nervously. "I won't even looking at Cindy!"_

_"How do you even know I was talking about her?" I asked, the corners of my lips turning upwards. Caesar rolled his eyes, taking a swig of his coke._

_"I hate you."_

_"Doesn't everyone?" I saw Caesar wink at me. _

_"Not everyone does." He nodded behind me towards the pool. "Jazmine sure did seem happy to see you without a shirt on."_

_"Jazmine's happy to see the ice cream truck," I reminded him. "Anyways, were just friends. Unlike you and vanilla-"_

_"Um, no." Caesar narrowed his eyes playfully. "Don't get mad, you closet racist."_

_"I am not a racist!" I hollered. Caesar laughed. "Whatever. I'm going to get Jazmine a hot dog."_

_That was the wrong thing to say. Caesar started laughing all over again, holding his sides. "I _knew_ you liked her!" He cried out, wiping his eyes. I scowled. "You didn't even give her a speech about how it could kill her! And you're getting it for her in the first place? Aw man, you got it bad. I didn't know you liked the older ladies-"_

_"She's only five months older! And I Do _not_," I added defensively. "Shut up." I shook my head. "Why am I even friends with you?"_

_"Because I'm adorable and lovable and all things wonderful?" Caesar offered, grinning. I looked at him._

_"Whatever." I opened my mouth to say something else, but closed it again as I heard a roaring sound in the distance. "Hey. What's that?"_

_Caesar frowned; a lot of other people were beginning to notice as well and were staring around, trying to find the source. I saw Jazmine pull herself out of the pool, confusion etched on her face. My eyes flickered up to the sky as the roaring became louder, until it blocked out all other sounds._

_A cluster of jets were flying overhead; kids started pointing and cheering, waving their arms. Jazmine ran over to us, dripping wet._

_"Is there some kind of air show or something today?" She asked, her eyes wide as we stared at the sky. I shook my head, my eyebrows furrowed._

_"Not that I know of." The three of us stared up into the sky, watching the fighter planes disappear in the horizon as everyone cheered around us. "I wonder what's going on."_

_"No idea." Caesar turned away, his eyes already on Cindy again. I wondered if he thought he could somehow make all the guys surrounding her disappear if he stared hard enough. I turned to Jazmine, expecting her to already be going towards the pool. Instead, to my surprise, she was staring up into the sky still. I looked up again as well, examining the fuzzy smoke clouds that were fading remnants of the planes' departures. _

_"Something's wrong," She said quietly. I eyed her._

_"What?"_

_"You ever get that feeling?" she asked. "You know, were things aren't as they seem? Like something big's about to happen?"_

_I stared at her for a long moment before I shook my head. Jazmine rolled her eyes._

_"Whatever." She shook her head. "I just have a feeling…"_

_"Whatever," I interrupted, mocking her. She glared at me. "Do you want that hot dog, or what?"_

_As expected, her worried looked vanished and was replaced by a wide smile. "Sure!"_

_As we walked over to the grill, I cast one last look over my shoulder, wondering where the planes were going, and what they were for. Little did I know that Jazmine was right, and that our entire lives were going to be altered by that very moment._

_

* * *

_

_Cairo_

The house was quiet, minus the occasional creaking of a floorboard or someone's footsteps upstairs as they went to use the bathroom. I was sprawled on the couch, watching some late night show on CNN as they went on and on about the September eleven attacks, and how they were a sign from god or some mess like that. I was just getting ready to flicker off the TV when I noticed Maya walk past, heading for the kitchen. "Hey," I whispered; she jumped before glancing at me, her long hair swinging over her shoulder. "What are you doing up?"

She shrugged, biting her lip. "I couldn't sleep." She crept closer, glowing eerily in the light of the TV. "I don't know. That whole thing with the cops, it was just weird-"

"I know." I sat up, rubbing my hand self consciously over my short hair. "You alright?"

She shrugged. "Yeah. Just worried about…" She stopped, shaking her head. I sighed.

"Huey?" We'd had this conversation too many times before.

"Yeah." She sank down on the couch beside me, resting her elbows on her knees. Her plaid pajama boxers stopped just before them. "I don't know, I just think he worries too much. He's always so stressed out."

I nodded, gazing into her concerned eyes. "He's a big boy, Maya. He can take care of himself."

"I know." Maya shrugged, smiling lightly. "I don't even know why I care."

It was so obvious. "Duh." When she glared at me, I shrugged back. "You love him. What else is new?"

I watched her eyebrows draw together as she stared down at the floor below her. "Yeah, but he doesn't love me," She said quietly. I blinked in surprise; I didn't think she'd noticed. "I think a part of him's attracted to me, but that's all." She sighed. "Nothing special."

I fought to find the right words to say to her. "Well, don't beat yourself up. You're amazing." When she looked up to smile at me I went on. "Any man would be lucky to have you. You're smart, beautiful, brave…"

"I want _him _to want me." She closed her eyes, laying back against the couch. I tried again to console her.

"Well, he's kind of in charge here, Maya. I don't think he's really looking for anyone in that way. I'm sure if he was, he'd go for you in an instant-"

"Not." Maya's eyes darkened. "He'd go for that mixed, spoiled, pretty girl Jazmine." She snorted. "I don't even know what he sees in her."

"She's nice, too," I offered. When she shot me a glare I returned it. "They've been friend a while, Maya. And she's in a rough spot of her own. I don't think either one of them are interested in each other that way."

"Good." Looking satisfied, Maya straightened. "Jazmine treats him like shit, anyway. He could do better. Did you see what she did to his eye?"

I couldn't help but smile. From the pain I'd felt when she punched me in my own eye, I didn't think he'd felt any better. "He convinced someone to run her off a bridge. If I ran you off the road with a truck wouldn't you want to punch me in the eye?"

Maya smirked. "Maybe."

"Come on." I lightly tapped her underneath her jaw. "We've got more things to worry about right now. We don't have time for normal, romantic problems. We're supposed to be trying to change America."

"I know." Maya looked dejected all over again. "It's just…" When I didn't interrupt her she went on. "Have you ever felt like you'd just go so well with someone? Like you love them so much that you can't even imagine life without them? That you'd follow them into anything?" Her eyes watered. "I just love him so much, Cairo. I know I can tell you because you're so trustworthy and that you'll somehow understand." She blinked at me from behind thick eyelashes. "You understand, don't you?"

Sadly, I did. I felt the same way, my heart throbbing painfully every time Maya wasted her efforts on Huey. For every smile, laugh, and joke that was wasted on him, she could've given to _me_. I would treat her like royalty. I would never let anything come between us.

Only, how could I tell her that when I wasn't the prince she wanted?

"Of course." I gently wiped at that the lone tear that trickled down her cheek, my own heart aching for her. "I understand perfectly."

Maya smiled. I swear, I've never seen anything more beautiful.

"I'm glad I talked to you, Cairo." She stood up, tucking her hair behind her ears before bending down to kiss me on the check. "You're a great friend. One of the best."

I smiled as if those were the words I wanted to hear, nodding as she went back up the stairs. I listened for her footsteps to fade before slouching back down on the couch, my own mouth etched into a frown.

I loved Huey Freeman like a brother; he was one of my best friends. Sometimes, though, I couldn't help but wonder if his joy in life was taking everything that I'd ever wanted away from me.

Not having the energy to get up and drag myself to my room, I turned off the TV, the light fading and leaving the room in complete darkness, with nothing but my thoughts to fill it.

* * *

_Review_? _You know you wanna. ;)  
-Kelsey_


	7. Chapter Six

_Long ass chapter...anyways, hello all. This past week has been hell with attempted kicking outs of houses and crazy drama shit and whatnot, but it's okay! Cause I've finally freaking updated. So here's to you, Shadw, Darelle The Author, MizzC, DarkSmile, TRIGGER MIKE THE GREAT, and Sweetiepye2 for reviewing. Oh, and anyone else who gives a crap._

_(Sorry. In case you couldn't tell, I'm in a bad mood. :P)_

Disclaimer: The Boondocks isn't mine. Otherwise I'd be rich, paid, and not living in this craphole of a place.

* * *

Old Soul

Chapter Six

_September 12, 2022_  
_Jazmine_

It seemed like I'd just managed to fall asleep before I was being attacked by a pillow.

I'm not even kidding. One moment I was drifting away in a field of peace and tranquility, the first bit of peace I'd had in days, and the next thing I knew a down pillow was whacking me in the face.

_Hard._

"Ouch! The _fuck_?" I snapped, retaliating with fists of fury. It seemed as if that's all I'd been doing since I got here. "Calm that shit down!"

"Ow, OW!" I felt warm flesh underneath my right fist and was filled with the satisfaction that I'd just hit the shit out of someone. "Lay _off_, Jazmine!"

"Then cut it out with the pillow fight bull crap, we aren't twelve." I sat up, pushing my dark bangs out of me eyes and leveling the eldest Freeman brother with a serious glare. "What the hell were you thinking? You didn't even believe in pillow fights when we were kids."

"It's the only thing that seemed like it would wake you up. You were out like a light." I could see a mark on Huey's shoulder, already beginning to color an odd tinge of green. "I guess I should've found another method. You hit hard."

"You _think_?" I pointed at his eye, which was just beginning to heal. "I believe I had a best friend back in the day that taught me how to throw a punch. You know, before he died." I snorted. "I guess karma really is a bitch."

"Are you sure it's just the karma?" When I glared at him, Huey sighed and jammed his hands in the pockets of his jeans. I was suddenly aware of the baggy shorts, tank top, and messy hair that I was sporting. My body was covered in a light sheen of sweat, I guess from sleeping under all those blankets. Not to mention, I didn't even have on a bra.

…shit.

"What do you want?" I asked coolly, tugging the sheets up to my chin in what I hoped to be a casual manner. From the way Huey's eyebrows raised in amusement, I could tell I'd failed.

"We're going to the DMV, remember?" He shook the car keys in his hand, rolling his eyes. I blinked up at him blearily. "Now get up. We don't have all day."

I rested on my elbows, glancing towards the window. "The sun isn't even up yet! And-" I looked at the digital clock on the nightstand, the red numbers illuminating the dimly lit room. "-It's only 5:30!"

"So?"

"I didn't even know 5:30 existed!" I spluttered. Huey smirked.

"Well, you do now." He tapped his watch, already heading towards the bedroom door. "Be downstairs in thirty minutes. Don't forget to put in your contacts."

"Hell no!" I tried to spit out, although as much as I hated to admit it my voice was much squeakier and whiny than I liked. I sounded like some five-year-old who was being told she had to wait until after dinner to eat dessert. "They make my eyes itch! They hurt!"

"You have to get used to them." Huey's tone was final. I squared my shoulders.

"No one else in the house wears a disguise."

"Bullshit, Jazmine. We all have our disguises. Only we wear them when necessary."

"Then why is it always necessary for _me_ to use one when everyone else walks around free as air?" When Huey opened his mouth I cut him out. "Never mind, just forget it. It's not like you give me straight answers anyways."

Huey shook his head, his eyes narrowed. "Come on, Jazmine. I don't want to fight anymore."

"And I don't want to have black hair and blue eyes. Whoops." I rolled my eyes. "Guess we don't always get what we want."

I could tell Huey wasn't used to my behavior. The Jazmine he remembered was gullible, loyal, and reasonable. He wasn't used to me being combative and argumentative all the time. Oh, well. It wasn't my problem.

"When are you going to stop hating me?" I was surprised by how unhappy his tone sounded. I felt my eyes widen slightly. "What can I do to make you happy?"

My mouth opened uselessly, words fleeing my mind. Huey was always so logical and rational. I wasn't used to being able to read his emotions. I merely shook my head, lost.

"Huey…I don't hate you. I've never hated you." I felt my chest constricting and I took a deep breath, my eyes on his. "I'm just upset. How can you expect me not to be?"

I didn't want to be upset, and I didn't want us to be this way. I just didn't want him to think that I was over what he did, what everyone had done. I didn't want to be a doormat. I wasn't always so easily adjustable.

I didn't want him to see me as the same, weak girl he'd known in Woodcrest.

I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, looking down again. "I'll be down in thirty minutes. Like you said." I looked up again. "You can tell me what you need me to do, and I can do it. But you can't tell me how I should feel. That's not how I work."

Huey looked as if he wanted to say something but decided against it. Instead he merely nodded, walking out and shutting the door gently behind him. I sighed, glancing at the clock.

It was as if he was fighting to keep our friendship alive, and I constantly trying to kill it. I didn't know who was right, or who was wrong anymore. I wasn't sure if I even cared.

All I knew was that I just wanted to feel okay again.

* * *

_Cindy_

I knew something was up the moment Caesar asked me to help him take out the trash.

First of all, I don't play that shit. I'll do anything; laundry, dishes, cook, dust. But there is no way in hell I feel like touching other people's trash. Fuck that shit.

It was the fact that he even bothered asking me when he knew how much I hated trash duty that made me say yes. Something had to be going down, and I was curious enough to learn what it was that going out in the cold with bags of crap didn't seem so bad. I pulled a hat on and a coat before trudging after Caesar into the front yard, the late morning sun ascending over our heads and the tall buildings looming around us. We'd barely gotten to the row of trashcans in the alleyway beside the house before Caesar was dropping the bags, grabbing me by my forearms and kissing me roughly on the mouth.

Usually, these kinds of situations are pretty damn amazing. Hell, I love kissing as much as the next girl, and Caesar's hot. I love him to pieces.

Also…he's hot. He's got an amazing personality, and…did I mention he's hot?

Yes? Well, he is.

Only, I couldn't help but remember those stinky, disgusting bags of trash he'd been carrying with his bare hands a mere few seconds ago. Did he wash his hands? Um, no.

"Ew, ew, ew!" I cried out, the sound muffled by his lips on my own. I smacked him in the forehead, causing him to back up and groan, clasping his head in his palm.

"Cindy! What the hell?"

"Don't what the hell me!" I shot back. "Do you know what kinds of germs could be in that trash? Salmonella, Ebola, Bird Flu-"

"Cindy."

"Syphilis, Chicken Pox-"

"_Cindy_-"

"AIDS, Hepatitis A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, or anything through Z, Herpes-"

"Cindy!" Caesar yelled, half irritated and half laughing. "Who the hell in this house has any of those things?"

I shrugged. "If anyone did, do you think they'd tell the group?"

"Um, probably." He shook his head, wiping tears due to him laughing so hard from the corners of his eyes. "Cindy, do you think you could put aside your germ-a-phobic views for two minutes? We need to talk."

"Ooh. So serious." I stuck my tongue out at him, folding my hands together. "What's up? What's so big that you have to say it outside as opposed to indoors, where we don't have a risk of freezing to death?"

"It's only September, it's not that cold." Caesar grinned, although I felt as if he was nervous about something. "I just didn't think you'd want me to say this in front of the others. You get embarrassed kind of easily sometimes…"

"What," I asked slowly, feeling myself grow nervous as well. "Are you talking about?"

Caesar hesitated, his brows furrowing for a moment, as if he were pondering something. Then, I felt my breath freeze in my lungs as he bent down on one knee, his eyes raised up to meet mine. My jaw dropped.

No. No _way_.

"Cindy. Cindy McPhearson." His voice, so confident and powerful, sent my already crazy beating heart into a frenzy. I could feel my palms break out into a sweat, despite the cold. "I love you. I always have. Your laugh, you're smile, everything about you…I've never felt this way about anyone else in my life."

Oh. My. God. My eyes darted around wildly, looking for witnesses. This wasn't real. This couldn't be real…

"I know that we're young, and there's still so much in this world that we haven't seen," he continued, his eyes so sincere and sweet. That's what I loved about him, but right now they only made me cringe, something inside of me tightening with guilt. "But Cin, I want to see it all. With you." He grinned. "I want to spend the rest of my life with you."

I could feel myself shaking, and it wasn't because of the cold. On the surface I strived to appear calm, but on the inside I was afraid that I was having a seizure.

"Cindy…will you marry me?"

His final words hung between us, colder than the air around us, at least around him. To me, it felt as if an inferno was burning us alive. I swallowed, carefully trying to sort through the words that bounced around erratically in my head.

"I…" I swallowed again, my throat drier than the Sahara. Below me, I could see Caesar's face; it went from excited, to nervous, to finally confused.

"Cindy?" His voice was hesitant.

"I...I don't know what to say," I confessed. Caesar's head tilted to the side. He was obviously trying to analyze my reaction.

"A yes would be great." He was trying to lighten the situation, but his tone was anything but humorous. I felt my eyes tighten as I struggled not to cry.

"Caesar…I can't marry you. Not right now," I added quickly when I saw his jaw drop, his eyes filled with hurt. That's one of the many things I've always loved about him; he was never afraid to show his emotions, or be honest with his feelings. It was something about him that had always fascinated me.

However, seeing the pain in his eyes cut through me like a knife. I watched him slowly raise himself up to his feet again and draw himself up to his full height. It was my turn to lift my head to stare up into his eyes.

"Why not." His tone, while not hostile, didn't sound too pleased. I gestured with my hand to the world around us, my eyebrow raised.

"Caesar, with everything going on right now…I don't think marriage is something we should add to the mix." I watched him close his eyes and I rested my hand on his cheek. "Caesar, I love you. I love you so much. But I don't want to start planning for a wedding that could never happen."

His eyes flew open. "What do you mean, it could never happen?"

"Ceez, get real!" I couldn't help but yell. "Michael Caesar and Cindy McPhearson don't even exist! We're living each day as different people, in a city that is just as messed up as the rest of the US, the world! We don't even know if we're going to live to _have_ a future!" I was both embarrassed and shocked at the tears that blurred my eyes; I wasn't much of a crier. "I want to marry you, but not now. Not when everything is as screwed up as it is."

Caesar shook his head, one of his dreads falling into his eyes. I let my own eyes fall away from his, hating the hurt I saw in them. For a moment, there was only silence. From all the years we'd been together, I'd never felt a silence as much as I did this one.

Then, he spoke.

"I'll take that as a no," He said flatly. "If I'm good enough to be with in the first place, then I don't get why now isn't good enough for you."

"Caesar!" I could feel panic fill me, my eyes wide. "You know I don't mean it that way!"

"Do I?" Caesar shrugged in mock wonderment. "I didn't know that you didn't even consider the fact that we could have a future together! I had no idea that you've been condemning our relationship this entire time!"

"That's not what I've been doing!" I sobbed, reaching out and grabbing the front of his coat with my fists, pulling myself against him. "I love you! I'm just trying to be real!"

"Yeah, well so am I." Caesar shook himself out of my grasp, stepping back. "But the way I see it, we might not have much time left. It's just that whatever time we do have, I wanted it to be where I was your husband, and you were my wife." He shook his head sadly. "I guess that was too much to ask."

I fell silent, my hands still hanging in the air, as if they were still holding him. I didn't look at him as he walked past me, stopping when we were shoulder to shoulder.

"Here." He shoved a small, velvet box at me, his eyes averted. "I don't want it. Do what you want with it." He walked away, his hands in his pockets, his silhouette blurring as the tears continued to stream down my face.

"I'm sorry," I whispered, my own heart breaking silently inside of my heavy chest. "I'm so sorry."

The box felt as if it weighed a ton in my hand, I glanced down, a tear falling gracefully through the air and landing on my wrist. I ignored it, opening the box.

Inside was a ring, with a simple solitaire diamond in the center, the morning sunlight shining off of its jewel and sending bright rainbows all over my face. I shut the box quickly, the tears falling harder. I slid it in my pocket, lifting my face to the sky.

For the first time in a long time, since I'd learned of Caesar's "Death", I myself felt as if I'd died as well.

* * *

_Huey_

For some reason, I felt this insane urge to punch almost every man I came across in the face. Coincidentally, it was only when their attention seemed to linger on Jazmine longer than necessary.

First, it had been the man who checked us in to the DMV and gave us all the paperwork we needed to start. They way he'd said hello, the way he'd only acknowledged her when it was me who was doing all the talking, the way he stared…I just wanted to shove that clipboard so far up his ass he'd taste it.

Then, there was some other man who looked old enough to me our father that leaned over the backs of our chairs when we sat down, his fingers tracing the ends of Jazmine's dark hair. "So, are your eyes naturally that beautiful?" He'd asked, smiling at her. Jazmine, being the oblivious girl she was, had blushed, flattered.

I'd cracked my knuckles, staring the guy down until he had enough sense to back the hell up and mind his own business.

And don't even get me started on the man that had taken her picture. I swear, if he'd stared any longer he probably would've went blind from all the force he put into it.

Finally, almost three hours later, we'd gotten out of there, Jazmine's new license in her wallet and my nerves completely wrecked. Seriously, who did those men think they were, eyeing her like she was some piece of meat? Did they have no sense? Had they lost their mind?

"Um, Huey?" Jazmine's voice, hesitant and small, interrupted my thoughts. I shot her a look, my hands tightening on the steering wheel. "Are you okay? The light turned green ten seconds ago."

Sure enough, I could hear several honks from behind me. I quickly stomped on the gas, causing the van to shoot forward with a heart stopping jerk; Jazmine flew forward and my right arm quickly flew out to keep her from smacking into the dashboard.

"That's why you wear a seatbelt," I grumbled, taking my hand back and glaring at her. "Do you really want to get us pulled over?" Gaining a bit of satisfaction in watching Jazmine scurry to secure the seatbelt in its lock I sat back, eyes on the road again. I felt Jazmine shifting nervously beside me, her eyes on the CD player.

"What…are we listening to?" Her nose wrinkled. I glared at her.

"Kool Keith and Dr. Octagon," I told her, my voice already defensive. Jazmine's frown deepened.

"Who?"

"Kool Keith," I shot back, my words clipped. "And Dr…Octagon…"

"Okay." Jazmine shook her head. "I don't like it."

"I didn't ask you."

"I know. I'm telling you."

"Doesn't mean I'm going to change the CD."

"Of course not." Jazmine rolled her eyes. "Because that wouldn't be like Huey Freeman at all."

"And what," I asked, not being able to keep the amusement out of my voice. "Do you know about Huey Freeman?"

"I know," Jazmine responded, leaning forward, a sparkle in her eyes. "That Huey Freeman listens to bad music."

I rolled my eyes, and Jazmine laughed. The sound of it shocked me; it was the first time I had even heard her laugh since I'd seen her again. The light, carefree, melodic tones of it sent a hill up my spine. With the sunlight streaming in the windows and catching her dark hair, lightening her winter blue eyes, it didn't matter that she was supposed to be a different person. I didn't care that she'd changed in the years.

All in all, she was still Jazmine. The same Jazmine that I'd played video games with, the same Jazmine that I'd made cry on practically a daily basis. The same Jazmine that made me angry with her ignorance, the same Jazmine that made me smile with her infectious one, the exact same girl who used to mock my tastes in music.

She was still here.

"Hey, where are we?" She asked as I pulled up to the curb in front of a two story, whitewashed house on the outskirts of town about twenty minutes later. It had yellow shutters and a porch that wrapped around the entire house. I cut off the engine, already hopping out the van to get a box out the back.

"I've got a few errands to do," I told her, shrugging. "Hope you don't mind."

"Does it matter if I do?" While her words were sarcastic I didn't hear any kind of anger in them, and felt relieved. When I didn't answer her question I heard her sigh. "Can I stay in the van?"

"Nope. You'll probably throw out my CDs." I tucked the medium sized, cardboard box under my arm, sliding the van door shut with the other. I walked around to Jazmine's side, pulling open her door. "Now come on."

For the first time since she'd been in Chicago she didn't argue. Instead, she ignored the hand I held out to help her down and hopped to the ground herself, her sneakers making a small thump on the pavement below us. She beamed at me when I gave her a scowl.

"So stubborn," I muttered.

"So surprised," She replied sweetly.

I couldn't help but smirk and I shut the door, leading the way up the sidewalk, then towards the house. Instead of ringing the doorbell, however, I walked around the side of the house, where the sounds of laughter and music drifted towards us. I stepped into the backyard while Jazmine lingered behind me, her hands tucked in the pockets of her leather jacket. "I'm here," I called out.

"About time!"

I grinned as my Aunt Cookie rose up from her fold out chair, starting across the large backyard to give me a hug. "Stay here, I'm coming," I told her, walking across the cut grass and giving her a hug, setting the package on the ground. "How've you been?"

"Always good when my favorite nephew can make his way over." Aunt Cookie's arms, still around my shoulders, tightened. I could smell the familiar scent of vanilla on her, a scent that always seemed to calm me down. It made me feel safe, which wasn't an easy thing to do. "Where's that bonehead brother of yours?"

"Who knows? Probably trying to find a job." I shrugged. "He's gotten better."

"That's good." I felt her hand in my Afro, scratching my scalp. "When you gonna let yo Auntie cut this hair?"

"_Aunt Cookie…" _I moaned. She laughed, letting me go and turning to the rest of our relatives, who were eating, laughing, and dancing. "Look what the wind blew in, y'all! It's Huey!"

"Why are you cooking out every time I come around?" I asked. She pinched my cheek.

"Just taking in all this air before the weather gets colder. And before the damn government bans us from grilling outside," She added under her breath. "Connie! Huey's here!"

"Aw shit, forreal?"

In an instant I was surrounded by relatives, some who I recognized and others where I wasn't sure that I'd even met them before. They hugged me, clapped my back, and asked how I was doing, if I was okay. It was so overwhelming; I'd almost forgotten Jazmine was with me until I caught her trying to sneak around the house in the corner of my eye.

"Oh, no you don't," I called out; Jazmine froze, her head whipping around. My relatives all lifted their heads to stare at her. "You guys, this is my friend, Jazmine. Jazmine, my family. Or at least," I mumbled, looking around at everyone who I didn't even remember. "I think so."

Jazmine waved shyly, her head ducked down. Aunt Cookie shook her head, laughing.

"Don't look so scared, girl!" She called out. "We cool! We don't bite!"

"Much!" The woman Connie laughed, waving Jazmine over. "Come on, girl! Come get some food! Yo skinny self…"

Jazmine looked hesitant, but she came over regardless, her arms still crossed protectively over her chest. "Hi," She said softly, dropping her arms to her sides. If nothing else, she knew how to be polite. "It's nice to meet you all."

"Hey there, sweetheart." Connie drew Jazmine into a bear hug, which seemed to surprise her until she relaxed, slowly hugging the woman back. "You visiting?"

"Um…something like that…"

"That girl's something," Aunt Cookie said as Connie led Jazmine away, introducing her to more people. "At first glance I thought she was that Heather girl you brought over here those other times; they look kind of similar farther away. She's pretty," She added, winking at me. I rolled my eyes.

"We're friends."

"Yeah, I know you've never been one for relationships." Aunt Cookie settled back down into her chair. The majority of the cookout had returned to full swing and everyone was dancing again. Jazmine was near the grill, still with Connie, being introduced to some cousin whose name I couldn't remember. "So, what brings you by on this fine September afternoon?"

"Dropping off your medicine." When Aunt Cookie blinked at me I gave her a look. "For your diabetes? I know your insurance stopped covering it because I saw that letter when I went and got your mail last time. I knew you had to be running low."

To my surprise, she blinked back tears. "My sweet, sweet nephew," She whispered, giving me another hug. "Your grandfather would've been so proud of you."

I closed my eyes, shaking my head. "I just don't want anything to happen to you," I told her, feeling uncomfortable.

"How'd you get it for me?" Her eyes were wide when I pulled back from our hug. "It's so expensive…"

"There's no price big enough for you, Aunt Cookie." My voice was severe, my eyes narrowed. "You took care of Riley and I all that time. I'm going to take care of you."

"Honey, you don't worry about yo Aunt Cookie." She wiped her eyes. "You worry about yourself and your friends. You all are the ones in danger. I'm not seen as a threat."

"I don't care," I shot back fiercely. "I won't lose you."

"Huey." She sighed. "Everyone's gotta die sometime. You know that." Her eyes narrowed warily. "What happened to your eye?"

Before I could reply, Connie was bringing Jazmine back, laughing. "This girl is hilarious!" she chuckled, letting go of Jazmine's arm and resting her hand on the back of Aunt Cookie's chair. "I swear, Malcolm tried to ask her for her number and you won't _believe_ what she said!" She glanced at Jazmine. "How old are you, sweetie? You legal?"

"Twenty-two," Jazmine answered, rubbing her arms. Connie clapped her hands.

"Girl, you like Corona? We got Corona, girl. And Mojitos, some Rum, some Chardonnay-"

"Actually, we should really be going-" I started, taking hold of Jazmine's arm and steering her away from Connie. Even if I should've been able to trust my own family, I didn't exactly know some of them well enough to trust them. Telling them Jazmine's real name had been risky enough. Only, just as I began to turn around, a voice stopped me.

"Huey."

The four of us turned towards the back door, where a much older, gray haired woman was standing, leaning on a cane. Her hair was in a bun; her eyes tinted a bluish gray. She was blind.

"Oh, Athena, you crazy bat," Connie said, shaking her head and rushing forward as Athena started slowly down the wooden steps. "Let me help you-"

"I don't need your help," Athena said, her voice low and haunting. I felt the hairs on the back of my neck raise up as she descended the steps at last, her unseeing eyes on me. "Huey, my child. It's been too long."

"Huey, this is Athena," I heard Aunt Cookie inform me. I dropped Jazmine's arm, watching Athena's shawl blow in the wind. "I don't know if you remember her. She was at Robert's funeral."

I didn't remember her, but I could tell she remembered me. She hobbled towards me, her expression serious.

"Young Huey. The rebel with a cause." Her thin lips slowly turned upwards. "And what a serious cause you support." Her head tilted to the side. "You remember my granddaughter, Robin?"

As if out of nowhere a small girl with jet black curls poked her head from behind Athena, her tawny eyes wide and innocent. "Not…really," I admitted, rubbing the back of my neck. The little girl stared up at me silently, before her eyes fell on Jazmine. She froze. As if she knew where the girl's attention was focused, Athena turned her head as well.

"Who is the woman?" She asked, her low voice alight with curiosity. I felt Jazmine tense beside me. "I have not met her before."

"Um, Athena," Aunt Cookie spoke up. "That's Huey's friend, Jazmine."

Athena stared a moment longer before crossing the short distance, stopping in front of us. Her wrinkled hand reached up, stroking Jazmine's cheek with a long, yellowed fingernail. Jazmine flinched, her eyes wide.

"Jazmine. What a lovely name." Athena's eyebrow lifted. "You've been here before, haven't you?"

"N-No," Jazmine whispered nervously. I watched along with Aunt Cookie and Connie, curious. "I'm not from Chicago-"

"Not like that, honey." Athena smiled, although it did nothing to make me feel more relaxed. "I meant your soul. You've been here in another life." She nodded.

Jazmine blinked, surprised. "I don't know…maybe?"

Connie and Aunt Cookie laughed nervously. Athena dropped her hand so that it was resting on Jazmine's heart, her eyes narrowing.

"Yes, you have. And you've seen such pain. Such torment." She shook her head. "You've overcome some obstacles, and haven't dealt with the aftermath. There are still mysteries that you haven't solved, and they tear at you every day, every moment. You have yet to find inner peace." She took her hand away, letting it drop to her side. "You will find it, my dear. And when you do, you will be stronger than ever before."

"Um…well." Jazmine's face was pink. "Thanks."

Athena rested a hand on Jazmine's shoulder. "I know you doubt my words dearie, but trust me. I can see right into you. And you are here for a purpose. When the time comes to fulfill that purpose, you will know."

I watched as Athena gestured to her still, quiet granddaughter, who was merely staring onward. "Robin," She said softly. The girl's eyes snapped up. "Go show Jazmine your toys." To Jazmine, she went, "You have a childlike wonder about you, despite your age. You love children, don't you?"

To my surprise the girl came forward with no complaint, taking Jazmine's hand in her own smaller one. Jazmine looked surprise and nodded. Realizing that the woman couldn't see she cleared her throat. "Yes. I do."

As Robin led Jazmine further into the yard, towards a group of other children, Aunt Cookie narrowed her eyes towards Athena. "Did you have to be so direct?" She asked, shaking her head. "That's why everyone thinks you're crazy as hell now." Athena eased down into an empty chair, her hands balancing the cane in front of her. Aunt Cookie turned to me, shrugging.

"Athena here is a psychic," She explained. "At least, that's what she claims. Most things she says add up though, so I don't even bother trying to doubt her. Her granddaughter over there-" She gestured to Robin. "-had a father in the resistance. He's dead now, and she hasn't spoken since."

"She usually keeps to herself," Athena noted in her wobbly voice. "I believe she has the second sight, as I do."

"What do you mean, Jazmine's been here before?" I found myself asking. Athena smirked.

"Young Huey." Her voice grew dark. "Everyone is born with a soul. I know you believe otherwise, but this is true. In most cases, everyone is born and they die, to go to their designated afterlife. Then, there's some like your friend."

I turned to look at Jazmine, who was laughing at the children that were tackling her to the ground. Robin, I saw, was sitting in the grass a few feet away, watching. When Jazmine called out to her, she smiled, even though it only lasted for a second.

"Jazmine has an old soul," Athena went on, her voice still low. "It's been on this earth before, and is here again because there's something that they have to finish. Something which was so important in their past life they came back again, in a new one."

It all in theory sounded so ridiculous. Yet, I couldn't help but listen to her words and wonder if they were true.

"You said you can see the future." I folded my arms over my chest. "What do you see for us?"

Athena laughed. "I can't tell you dearie."

"Of course." I smirked. "You don't know it."

"Not true." Athena's smile vanished. "Do not doubt my power, boy. I know more than you think. I just don't want you to fall victim to self prophecy fulfillment. The future has the ability to change and shift as quickly as the sands, and I alone cannot determine it. Only you as an individual can shape your destiny."

I nodded. Crazy woman. "Whatever."

Athena nodded towards me. "I will leave you with this, though. That girl-" She pointed past me towards where Jazmine and the others were, which made me wonder how she knew where they were, being that she was blind. "-is your most valuable tool."

I blinked. "She's psychic, too?"

"No no, child!" Athena sighed. "She is loyal and determined. Strong, brave…the power and love I feel in that woman is beyond incredible. Her love, her loyalty…it will be her downfall." She gave me a warning glare. "Don't doubt the power of love. It can be the strongest weapon of all."

* * *

_Maya_

I didn't speak to her until after dinner.

The plates had been cleared and the leftovers put away, my hands in the sudsy sink water as I tackled the dishes. Jazmine, expressing how guilty she felt over not having to work, had decided to cook dinner. As much as I hated to admit it, her cooking skills surpassed the majority of ours in the house, minus Cairo and Huey.

I was just getting to the pots and pans when Jazmine wandered in the kitchen, wearing a pair of boxers and a T shirt, her hair pulled back. Her contacts were still in, her blue irises reminding me of Cindy's. I thought back to dinner and how silent Cindy and Caesar had been. I felt a wave of concern wash over me as I hoped that they were both okay.

"Hey." Jazmine noticed me and offered a small smile, her hand on the refrigerator handle. "Thanks for washing those for me."

My own mouth turned downwards before I could even stop it. "Whatever." Jazmine herself frowned before shrugging, going into the refrigerator. I snorted. "Didn't get enough to eat during dinner?"

"I ate fine." Her voice was cold. "I just wanted some apple juice, if that's alright with you."

"Oh, it's fine with me." I smirked. "I don't know if Cairo would be alright with it, though. That's his."

"Then I guess I'll buy him more when I go to the grocery store tomorrow." Jazmine let the door slam shut, the carton of juice in one hand. "I'm sure it's no big deal."

It was my turn to shrug. Jazmine scowled.

"So, what took you and Huey so long to come back from the DMV today?" I asked casually. Or at least, what I hoped to be casual. "We were all wondering about you two."

It was Jazmine's turn to shrug again, and she went over to one of the cabinets, emerging with a glass. "He had errands to run and felt like getting them out of the way. He had to stop by his aunt's house, some repair shop…why?"

"His aunt's. That's interesting." I frowned. "You know, other than Riley and I, he's never taken anyone to meet his aunt. And Riley stopped going ages ago." I turned back to the dishes. "When I met his family, he introduced me by my fake name. It was kind of weird, but I guess it was to keep me safe. What about you?"

"Huh?"

"Did he tell them your name was Whitney?"

When my question was met by silence, I glanced over my shoulder. Jazmine seemed to be weighing her answer carefully, as if she was onto me questioning her. Finally she sighed, pouring some apple juice into the glass.

"Yeah. He did." I felt my eyebrows rise.

"You're lying." I could tell by the tense way she was standing, her eyes averted. She glared at me.

"Then why did you bother asking me?" Her tone was impatient. "What does it matter?"

"It doesn't." My own tone was bitter. "Forget it. It's whatever."

"What is this about?" She asked, her blunt tone surprising me. From the way Huey described her in the past couple of years, she'd been the passive aggressive type. Not this loud, defensive woman I was witnessing now. "I wish you'd tell me, because this is really getting old."

"What's getting old?" I asked, feigning innocence. Jazmine rolled her eyes, slamming the juice down on the counter.

"This entire friction between us. I haven't _done_ anything to you, Maya!" She snapped. I turned back to the dishes. "I think if you have an issue with me you can discuss it maturely, instead of taking cheap shots so you can feel better about yourself."

"Hold _up_." I slammed the dishcloth into the water, whirling around, my spine stiffening. "First off, don't tell me I need to grow up. You're the most immature person out this bitch! Punching people in the face because you can't control your anger, resisting against everyone's attempts to help you. Secondly," I went on, ticking the list off on my fingers. "You have way too much mouth for me to appreciate you."

"Like you don't." Jazmine laughed. "Do you even hear yourself right now, little girl?"

"Little girl? I'm nineteen!" I snapped. "Oh, hell no-"

"Hell yes. That's _exactly_ what you are," She shot back, advancing on me. Despite myself, I felt my body automatically shrink back until my hands were behind me, balancing on the countertop behind my back. "I was nineteen before and I acted way more mature than you do. If you've got a problem, you say that shit. Don't try to make up stupid excuses."

"You say little girl like it's been so long since you were my age." I rolled my eyes. "How old are you, twenty?"

"I'm twenty-two, not that's it any of your business," She corrected, my nose inches from her's. "Now, what is your real problem?"

I was silent for a moment, my eyes burning into her's, but she wasn't backing down. I scowled.

"I just can't stand how mean you were to everyone, especially Huey," I confessed angrily. "You walk around like you the shit, like you can tell everyone what to do. Respect it is earned, and you ain't earned mine. I don't even know how you earned Huey's as mean as you are."

Jazmine shook her head, her eyes closed. "Maya, get a grip," She snapped. "They ran me off a bridge. They dragged me to a place I didn't even know existed, where all of them were, together, while they all left me in Woodcrest to think they were dead!" She backed away from me, a look of disgust on her face. "I don't know what you're smoking, but it must be good if you're that deluded into thinking that I'd be mad at them for shits and giggles."

"But you got over it!" I retaliated. "You're getting over it, yet you're still mean to Huey-"

"I have an idea!" Jazmine's voice rose. "If you're so worried about Huey, why don't you tell him that, instead of bitching at me because you think I'm trying to steal him or some shit?" When my eyes widened, she smirked. "Yeah, I know how you feel about him. I'm not an idiot. I don't have time to be, like you apparently do. Newsflash, Maya." She grabbed the carton of apple juice, along with the glass, off the table, storming out the kitchen. "I didn't come here for a boyfriend. Grow the fuck up and get over that shit."

I watched her go, my mouth hanging open uselessly. When I heard her footsteps fade away, they were soon replaced by a heavier, stronger set. I looked up as Duey came in, Hiro on his heels.

"Guys," I asked, my throat dry. "Am I immature?"

Duey and Hiro exchanged looks, their eyes wide.

"Um…"

"Well."

They both gave each other another glance before spinning around, rushing out the kitchen. I sighed, leaning against the countertop again.

_"I didn't come here for a boyfriend…" _Her words echoed in my head. I rubbed my temples, blinking back tears.

Maybe I was in the wrong being mad at her for something she couldn't control. She couldn't help it that she was here, and she couldn't help it that she was probably the only thing standing in the way of Huey and I.

She couldn't help it that Huey and I probably weren't ever meant to be in the first place.

* * *

Riley: Dis shit still borin, mah nigga!  
Kelsey: :breaks out flamethrower:  
Riley: :silence:

Okay, just so you guys know, the ending originally had this fight scene between maya and Jazmine, however I took it out because it just didn't seem like it would fit. I bet a lot of you would've loved to see Jazmine whoop that ass. My apologies. maybe next time? :P

Thanks for the read!  
-Kelsey


	8. Chapter Seven

_Well, it's been some times... :P Sorry. I was just going through things, such as trying to register for school and get stuff out the way, and preparing for my trip to san Antonio, Texas this sunday (A place I NEVER thought I'd go to, no offense to any texans, but Texas scares me. hahaha. Kidding.) It's my first time flying and I'm deathly afraid of heights, so let's see how this goes. Also, i spent some time trying to convince my boyfriend to go to Vancouver, Washington, since he got accepted to a college there (that sounds so backwards since it's far from Virginia, but I was trying to support him) but luckily (and at the same time, sadly) he isn't going. If he regrets it he can't blame that shit on me..._

_...i don't know why I insist on telling you all this, like you really care. hahaha._

_Anyways, thank you to DarkSmile, MizzC, BlacPioni, Shadw, TRIGGER MIKE THE GREAT, Darelle The Author, SN00GL3BAB1 (hah, that one makes me giggle. In a good way.), BxM, and Silversketch for the reviews! As usual, they made me quite happy._

_Enough stalling, here ya go._

_Disclaimer: Still don't own the Boondocks._

* * *

Old Soul

Chapter Seven

_November 27, 2020  
Huey_

_"Huey, the heat's broken."_

_I glanced up at Maya from my spot in the center of my bed, a book open in front of me. She was standing in the doorway, her long hair falling over both shoulders and a thick blanket encircling her. I rolled my eyes, shivering myself._

_"You think?" The words came out much sharper than intended but as usual she took no offense to it._

_"Well, I just felt like reminding you." She stepped into my dim lit bedroom, glancing behind her. "Duey's whining because today's his birthday and no one did anything to celebrate, and Cairo's complaining that his big toe has frostbite, and Cindy's complaining that if she goes to bed, she might not wake up and die of hypothermia." She frowned. "I wasn't trying to irritate you."_

_"You aren't." As much as I hated to admit it, some part of me was attracted to her. The way her full, pouty lips would pucker up into a pout, how her tiny button nose would wrinkle when she was disgusted with something. Out of everyone in the house she was probably the loudest, the most blunt. In a way, she reminded me of someone who I used to be close to…but those were where the similarities ended. "You're just trying to help."_

_"Duh." Maya smirked at me. "I can't help it. You always have all the answers."_

_I sighed, turning a page in my book. "Is that what you really think?"_

_"It's what I know."_

_Before I realized what was going on the book had flown from underneath my hands, tumbling to the floor with a dull thump. I glanced up, glaring at the African American who was now crouched down in front of me, giggling._

_"What the hell did you do that for?" I asked, now annoyed. Maya shrugged, resting on her knees on the edge of my bed._

_"What were you reading?" She asked innocently. I rolled my eyes._

_"A book of strategies. You know, in case we have to make a run for it after the protest tomorrow." I eyed her warily. "Why?"_

_"Oh, no reason." She smiled again. I glanced past her, my eyebrow raised. Wasn't my bedroom door just open a few moments ago? "It's just, you know, I had an idea."_

_"Really." I straightened, my elbows resting on my knees as I leaned forward. "What kind of idea?"_

_"Well." Maya's smile had vanished, and was replaced by another look, one that I couldn't quite decipher. "You're cold, right?"_

_I stared at her. "Well…yeah."_

_"Well, I'm cold, too." As she talked, I could feel her hand sliding up my leg, brushing my thigh. I froze. "So, let's find a way to get warm."_

_"Maya." My voice, even as firm as I tried to make it, had a wavering undertone. "I don't think we should do anything we might-"_

_She cut me off as her lips brushed mine; just the initial warmth coming off from her being so close shocked me. She pulled me closer, her hands wrapping around my neck, the blanket dropping from around her shoulders. Without even thinking about it I could feel my our arms encircling her waist, pulling her closer until we were both pressed together, as if we were one. Next thing I knew she was reaching down, tugging my shirt over my head, her lips on my neck._

_"Wait…" I breathed. This didn't feel right. No matter how warn she was against me, no matter how much my body ached for this…it just didn't feel like this was supposed to be happening. As if reading my thoughts she lifted her head, smiling softly at me._

_"It's okay." She gently pushed me back until my head was resting on the pillows at the head of my bed, her lips finding mine again. "We can keep a secret, right?"_

_And that's exactly what that night had become to us both; a secret. Even though I knew how Maya felt about me, knew that I didn't feel the same way, it had still happened. It didn't matter that she was the one that came onto me; I still could've stopped her. She'd been young and in love, and I'd taken advantage of that._

_It was why no matter how much time passed, I still couldn't forgive myself._

_

* * *

_

_October 2, 2022  
Jazmine_

The first thing I noticed when I woke up was that I was crying.

Not those quiet tears that roll down from the corners of your eyes, but big, fat tears that ran in rivers down my cheeks, accompanied by loud sobs that racked my entire body. I hiccupped and pounded at my chest, surprised, my mouth wide.

Then, when I realized that I was awake and it was only a dream I'd had, I started sobbing all over again. I balled up fistfuls of sheets in my hands, tugging them up to my chest, and just cried.

I'd been making such progress since I'd gotten to Chicago almost a month ago, to the point where life almost became a routine. I'd awaken, shower, and get dressed. Clean the house or find something to do with Cairo, who had become somewhat of a good friend since we got to share the daytime silence that the house offered. Our conversations were long and interesting, the topics we got on ranging from serious to deep, too all out hilarious. I felt as if out of everyone in the house, we were probably on the same page.

I began reading up on history and law just like everyone else had been doing, trying to get a sense of what was going on and what I could do to help. I cooked, Cairo cooked, we cleaned more.

Most of all, however, I'd managed to try not to think about things. At least, until now.

My bedroom door suddenly burst open, slamming against the wall. "Damn, can you turn yo TV down?" Riley yelled at me, his do rag resting on the top of his head, untied. "I ain't tryin to hear all dat Soap Opera shit-" He noticed me crying, his eyes narrowing. "Oh. My b."

He slammed the door again.

"Riley, wait!" I choked out. "Come back!"

"Hell naw!" Riley shouted, although he burst through the door again two seconds later. "Nigga, you cryin! I don't have time fo that! Soft ass nigga."

"Riley." I clenched my teeth together to try to stop the shaking. "What are you even doing here? I thought you worked at Pet Smart in the mornings."

"Bitch, I quit!" Riley's lower lip jutted out. "Had the nerve to be tellin me to clean up sum dog throw up. I was like, bitch, I don't even clean up my own throw up!" He folded his arms over his chest. "Dey got Reezy up in durr on the floor cleanin sum shit, I rep that streets! They don't know shit bout the streets! I'll roll up in dat motha fucka wit sum flamethrowers, sum ammo…bitch, I'll hit em like sugar and spice cause I ain't nice! YEAUUUUUUUUUUUUH!"

Riley thumped his chest, proud. I arched my eyebrow. Well, at least he'd stopped my crying. "Riley…have you been watching South Central Park on YouTube?"

"What? Nigga, naw!" Riley rolled his eyes. "They copied that shit from _me_. T.I. ain't hard as me, especially since his ass retired now!"

"Um, okay." I shook my head. "You done now?"

"Yeauuuuuuuuuuuuuh!"

"Please stop that." My head throbbed, and I pushed my sweaty bangs out of my eyes. "Riley, I need your help."

"You gon pay?"

"What?"

"You. Gon. Pay. Me. Nigga?" Riley's fingers snapped. "C'mon, Puriah! Get wit da program! I needs da paper!"

"Then you shouldn't have quit your job!" I snapped back, already annoyed. "Riley, please-"

"No pay, no play," Riley replied simply. I stared at him, confused.

"What does that even _mean_?" I shrieked, tossing my covers back. "Riley, I don't have any money!"

"Then you, my little mixed padre, have no assistance." Riley began to walk out the room. "Capuche?"

"Okay, first off, Padre means father," I shot at his retreating back. "I am not your father. Secondly, you'd better help me if you don't want me to tell Huey how you don't have your job, so you aren't holding up your end of the deal."

Riley stopped, although he didn't turn around. "I ain't scurred of his bitch ass," I heard him mutter. I sighed, my hand on my hip.

"Riley, please." I closed my eyes. "I'll get a job and you can sit around the house in my place. I'll do your laundry. Something." I opened my eyes again. "Just help me."

Riley turned around at that, his eyes wide and shining. "Forreal?"

I nodded. Having a job actually wouldn't be so bad. I'd been a receptionist for an insurance company back in Woodcrest while I went to school, and missed getting weekly paychecks. Besides, I'd feel much more useful this way. "Yeah."

"See, dat's exactly why I fucks with you." Riley came up and punched me lightly in the shoulder. "Mah nigga Jazzy. I don curr what they say, you still gotta lil bit of blacks left."

"Um…thanks."

"So whatchu need?"

I looked up at him. "I need you to help me find out why my parents are dead," I told him. Riley stared down at me, his nose wrinkled. "I know Huey and Caesar already know, but they won't tell me. They're sugarcoating it to spare my feelings, but it's hurting more than helping. In case-" I pointed to my splotchy, bloated face. "-you couldn't already tell."

"I think a blind person could tell dat shit."

"Thanks," I remarked dryly. "Riley, just take me to the library. Please?"

Riley sighed. For a moment, he merely glared at me.

"You gon get a job?"

"Yup."

He stared more. "You ain gon tell Huey bout dis?"

"Nope."

He stared for just a while longer. "You gon buy me sum breakfast before we go to the libury?"

"Sure- wait, what?" I yelled.

"Cool!" He ran out the room, cackling. "I's be downstairs, nigguh!"

I waited for his footsteps to disappear completely before dissolving on the floor in a fresh wave of grief, the images from my dream still vivid in my mind. My mother, filled with as much vitality as when she was alive. My father, with his strong hand on my shoulder. Their smiles, their laughs…I'd been so happy to see them.

I had to know what happened to them. Until I did, I'd never get over their deaths.

* * *

_April 1, 2018  
Maya_

_They were dead. They were dead, and it was raining._

_I don't know how long I'd lay in that alleyway, but it didn't even matter. I was laying on my back in that cold puddle, the rain falling like bullets on my face. I was freezing, soaked from head to toe. I didn't care._

_They were dead. And it was all my fault._

_I could still see the police storming the street, their faces as cold and hard as the pavement I was sprawled out on, their guns shining eerily in the streetlights. The screams of so many, including my own, rang in my ears._

_And my mom, my sister…I could still see their faces staring out through those car windows, their eyes wide with fear, the car bursting into flames…_

_Why was I here? How could I be here, surviving, while they were dead and gone, already forgotten by everyone but myself? To the world they'd been just another casualty of a useless conflict that would never end. To me, they'd been everything._

_The rain was coming down in sheets now, and I simply stare into the gray sky, just listening. Listening and laying there alone. Waiting to be captured, waiting to die. Waiting for some solution, some comfort, that would never come._

_I could hear footsteps behind me, but I didn't fear them. I didn't even care. I hoped, I wished, that it was a policeman or a soldier coming to finish me off. I prayed, even if I didn't believe in a god, that it was some robber or someone down on their luck who just wanted to take out their anger on someone; Someone who just wanted to kill._

_I'd gladly welcome death now. It had claimed everyone else, leaving me behind. I didn't like being alone._

_The footsteps grew closer, then drew to a stop. For a second I thought I'd imagined them, but then I heard someone shift and I saw a head peer over me. I stared upward, not moving._

_"Hey." His voice was low, his amber eyes blinking down at me, rain pouring off him as well. I didn't budge, didn't answer him. I just focused on those eyes, those odd, yet fascinating, colored eyes. "What happened?"_

_I didn't respond. I could hear more footsteps, followed by shouting. "Jordan!"_

_"I'm right here," The boy, well, Jordan, answered. "I found someone." He stared back down at me, concern in his eyes. "Do you need help?"_

_I blinked, swallowing. I opened my mouth, but no words came out. I was just so cold…_

_"How old are you?" Jordan bent down, his fingers brushing against my forehead. I shivered at the warmth that radiated off of them. His fingers were drifting down to my neck, feeling the glands there. I wondered if he was a doctor of some sort. "Eighteen?" I felt my nose wrinkle and he smiled. "Sorry. I'm bad at guessing those kinds of things. Sixteen?"_

_My frown deepened. His fingers moved to the other side of my neck. "Fourteen?"_

_I nodded slowly, my eyes drifting shut. I felt his fingers move and I turned away._

_"Do you have a name?" I heard him ask me. I nodded. He chuckled._

_"Well, can you tell me?" When I didn't answer he tapped my shoulder. "I'll start guessing again."_

_"It's Maya," I croaked weakly, my throat hoarse. I figured the faster I answered him the quicker he'd go away. He nodded._

_"Maya. Well, I'm Huey."_

_My eyes flew open at that one. "Your friend just called you Jordan," I couldn't help but point out. Jordan, or Huey, smirked._

_"I know. There's a reason for that." He looked at me. "Do you have a home?"_

_I flinched, the image of my dying family flashing in front of my eyes. "I'm fine here, thanks."_

_His eyes narrowed. "Did someone hurt you?"_

_I shook my head, instantly grasping the meaning of his words. "No." I sighed. "My family's dead."_

_"Ah." He nodded, understanding in his eyes. "Mine too."_

_My eyebrows flew up. He was so casual, son nonchalant about it, I couldn't help but stare with disbelief in my eyes. Who was this guy?_

_"Jordan!" A new voice, much more impatient, snapped from down the alleyway. "Bring yo ass!"_

_"Which one is it?" I asked. "Your name," I added when he look confused. He shrugged._

_"It depends." He stood up and held out a hand. "Are you coming, too?"_

_I stared at his hand, the rain causing me to blink. "I…I don't know." I sat up, the water from the puddle pouring down my back. My hair was matted to my head. "Who are you?" _

_Instead of waiting for me to take his hand, he suddenly bent down, scooping me up effortlessly. I gasped before instinctively grasping his collar with my fists. I felt my face heat up with embarrassment; I didn't even know this guy, yet I was clinging to him as if he were my lifeline. The corners of his mouth turned upwards._

_"Don't worry." He started down the alleyway towards two people that were cast in shadow, two people who I didn't yet realize would come to mean so much to me. "We'll fill you in."_

* * *

_October 2, 2022  
Cairo_

"So, who exactly are we looking for again?" I found myself asking late that afternoon. Somehow, I'd found myself being dragged to the library by a contemplative Jazmine and a surprisingly cheerful Riley. For most of the time spent Riley and I had read magazines while Jazmine typed away on the computers, getting up once in a while to check the reference section. Only now was she asking for my help. She turned her head from the monitor beside me to give me a look.

"Thomas DuBois and Sarah Alston Dubois, of Woodcrest." She took a deep breath, resuming her typing. "Anything you can find on them."

"Why don't you just ask Huey, er, Jordan?" I asked, glancing nervously over my shoulder, checking out the massive library and trying to see who was in possible earshot. "Computers aren't exactly as secure as they used to be-"

"I don't care!" Jazmine snapped, her eyes narrowing. On the computers in front of us, I saw two people peek their heads over, their eyes curious. "I want to find out what happened to my parents, and asking questions isn't going to get me any kind of answers. I know Huey-"

_"Jordan,"_ I hissed, but she ignored me.

"-and if he's still anything like he used to be, he was banking on my short attention span to make me forget to ask." She snorted, guiding her mouse along the mouse pad. "Well, too damn bad."

"Dayum!" I heard Riley cackle from behind the nearest bookshelf. "Why don't they got any playboy up in hurr?"

"It's a library!" I shot back, ignoring the glares I got from the information desk near the center of the room. "Now, shut up!"

Once upon a time, the library used to be a free, safe place where on could go to let their brains feast upon shelf after shelf of reading material, surf the web, and bury themselves in references until their hearts were content. Only lately, I suppose the government decided to go "fuck that shit" and began to censor more than ever before, blocking access to certain sites that pertained to anything they deemed suspicious, as well as removing a lot of useful books. It was as if they started reading "Governing a Country as Well as China" or some shit.

I began searching, seeing as Jazmine wasn't going to change her mind, trying to hack into the city of Woodcrest's police reports. Gaining illegal access to anything was no joke, and I was jeopardizing the three of us right now, especially if anyone were watching us, which with my luck, was likely. Maybe though, I could just get the information and get Jazmine and Riley out of here as soon as possible.

_Thomas DuBois. _I found him almost instantly. Youngest son of four boys, parents named William and Grace DuBois. Was gunned down and shot to death. The information was there, but somehow it seemed as if there should be more to it…

I looked over and realized that Jazmine had vanished. Panic gripped my chest as I jumped up, exiting out the screen and running through the bookshelves, trying to find her. "Jazmine! Jazz!" I whispered loudly.

"Over here!"

She was in the very corner near some machine that had old newspapers in it and was flipping through the headlines with some button on the side, her curly ponytail falling over her shoulder. "What are you _doing_?" I asked her. "Jazmine, I don't think we're going to find anything in here-"

"And why not?" She asked, glaring at me. I sighed, running and hand over my hair.

"Because," I answered patiently. "I don't think they'd go into detail about your father's death-"

"He was a prominent lawyer. I beg to differ."

"Jazmine-" I stopped, the wheels in my mind seeming to kick into motion. "Your father was a lawyer?"

"Yeah. Both my parents were."

"Thomas DuBois," I mumbled to myself, racing back to the computers. Somehow, placing his name with a lawyer made it seem so much more familiar. "DuBois, DuBois, Lawyer…" I glanced over, glad to see that she'd followed me. "What type of lawyer?"

"He was some other kind earlier in his career…" Her forehead wrinkled up in concentration. "But near the end, he did some work as a public defender."

"Huh." I began typing again, more furiously this time, Jazmine's head on my shoulder as she looked on. On my other side Riley came up, most likely out of boredom.

"Aye, y'all know-"

"Ssh!" Jazmine and I hissed in unison.

"Fine, den. Whack niggas." Riley folded his arms over his chest.

"Here!" I whispered loudly, pointing at the screen a few minutes later. Jazmine's eyes widened, impressed.

"How did you even get into-"

"I don't even know, but we don't have much time," I interrupted, already typing more. "I don't know if someone's going to trace this or what, and I'd rather us be long gone before they come looking." I clicked on a link that read _'Resistance Leader Gunned Down in Alleyway', _the new page flashing in front of our eyes. We stared.

Finally, Jazmine shook her head, her eyes huge. "Cairo, that can't be right." She pointed to the photo of the dead leader, her hand trembling. "That picture…that's my dad."

"I know." My voice was filled with disbelief, and a bit of awe. Jazmine shook her head again.

"No, you don't know. Cairo, according to this…" Her voice dropped. _"My dad was one of the leaders of the resistance?"_

"DAYUM. Talk bout-"

"Shut. Up." We voiced again. Riley rolled his eyes and walked around the corner, grumbling under his breath.

"It would make a lot of sense," I admitted, catching Jazmine's eyes; they were filled with tears. "Jazz, it would explain why he was killed. Why the police came after you-"

"No, it doesn't." Jazmine's voice, although shaky, was filled with anger. "Cairo, he would've told me. Besides, I've never had trouble with the police until a month ago, and my dad's been dead for almost four years. And what about my mom? No, no." She was completely dismissing it now. "That can't be it."

"Jazmine…these are government files from the FBI's library." I shook my head as well. "There's no mistake. That would be impossible."

"I can't believe he lied to me." Jazmine sat down beside me, her face sad. Riley's head poked from behind the corner.

"Shit, errybody else been doin dat shit!" He put in. "I don know why it's still so hard fo yo ass to-"

"Damn it, Riley!" I yelled. "If you don't shut the hell up-"

"Nigga, you gon what?" Riley taunted.

What I was going to do I never got to tell him, for before the words could leave my mouth, there was sudden blast of heat, followed by an ear splattering explosion that nearly caused me to fall out my my chair. Everyone began screaming and at my side Jazmine was already on her feet, her hand gripping Riley's arm.

"Shit!" I yelled over the chaos, glancing up; the entire back wall of the library had been blown away, the thick gray smoke from the rising flames making it nearly impossible to see. I scrambled to my feet, narrowly being missed by a falling man who had tripped over my overturned chair. "We gotta get outta here!"

The three of us ran along with everyone else for the exit, my hand gripping Jazmine's hand and Riley's collar so I wouldn't lose them. Another blast came from behind us, the heat so intense I felt as if I'd walked into a sauna on the sun. I shoved at the horde of people in front of us that didn't seem to be moving before gripping Jazmine and Riley's hands, tugging them towards the side where a significantly less amount of people were busting open windows, trying to get out. The fire, thanks to the well stocked selection of books that the library offered, was spreading like wildfire. I wondered when the firemen would come.

I wondered if this was even an accident.

"Move move MOVE!" I roared, grabbing hold of a chair and slinging it into the air. It hit one of the tall windows, making a deep crack in the glass. Since when was glass made so thick?

"Cairo!" I heard Jazmine scream and grip my shoulder with impressive strength; I turned around to see her staring up at the wall of flames, her eyes wide with terror.

"Don't worry…" I picked up another chair, hoisting it over my shoulder. "I…got it!"

I threw the chair with all my strength at the window again, another man getting the hint and doing the same. The glass broke through, shattering into thousands of pieces and raining along the windowsill. Everyone began covering their necks with their collars and running for the newly created exit like banshees, but I wasted no time in grabbing Jazmine around her waist so that she was at my side, shoving Riley ahead of me.

"Go!" I commanded, my instincts kicking in and telling me there wasn't much time left. Riley leapt over the windowsill, and I heard him hiss in pain as his hands dug into the scattered glass. I ignored it, however, beginning over the windowsill as well, pulling Jazmine along with me-

-And was knocked off balance by some Hispanic man, who was trying to usher his wife through as well. I stumbled and Jazmine tripped over my feet so that she fell out of the window. She was so caught off guard that she had no time to brace herself and instead straight hit the concrete.

"OW!" She rolled over onto her back, cupping her nose and scrunching her eyes shut in pain. "The fuck!?"

"Shit! Sorry!" I yelled, glaring at the man. "The _fuck_?" I repeated.

"Hurry up, you nigga!" He shouted in a thick accent. In an instant I drew my fist back Jazmine style, punching him square in the jaw. As his head snapped back and he roared out in pain, him and his wife being pushed aside by the rest of the crowd, I jumped out the window, grabbing Jazmine off the ground before she could be trampled. We ran to the opposite end of the wide intersection, where Riley was already standing with at least twenty other people.

"Lemme see, lemme see," I said gently, coaxing Jazmine's cupped hands form around her nose. She lifted them and I grimaced.

"Fuck." I took off my jacket, pressing it to her heavily bleeding nose. She didn't waste any time in taking hold of it herself, holding it to her nose. "Jazz, I'm so sorry. Just hold that there, and tip your nose back. Wait, no, don't. Um-"

BOOM!

Everyone began to duck, screaming and shrieking as the library's windows all blasted open, bricks and debris flying like insects as the building began to collapse. "Come on!" I shouted again, my hand on Jazmine's back as I pushed her further up the sidewalk. Luckily we'd parked on the next block and not in the library's parking lot, or else we probably wouldn't even have a vehicle to run to. "Riley, bring yo ass!"

"I'm comin, I'm comin!" He caught up to me and Jazmine, who had began running on her own as well; the three of us didn't stop until we reached the van, which we practically threw ourselves into. I quickly jammed the key into the ignition, barely waiting for the van to roar to life before I was already stepping on the gas, shooting onto the highway. A few minutes later a series of police cars and fire trucks shot past us, heading for the burning ashes of the building that had just stood behind us minutes before. We sighed in relief, leaning back in our seats before I shot Jazmine a murderous glare.

"Oh, yes, Jazmine." I snorted. "That was a _great _idea."

"I din't o da bibary was gon bo uh!" She managed, her mangled nasal cartilage horribly distorting her words. I felt a twinge of guilt being that I was the one that had tripped her, and silently hoped that her nose wasn't broken.

"Shit." I glanced at the clock on the dashboard. 4:46 pm. Everyone was going to being getting off work and this was going to be all on the news. Plus, how was I supposed to explain Riley's cut hands, Jazmine's damaged nose, and our cuts and bruises?

"Huey's going to kill me," I moaned. Jazmine smacked her palm on her forehead with one hand, the other still holding fast to my jacket on her nose. Riley laughed.

We were so screwed.

* * *

_Jazmine_

My nose was on fire. It _had _to be broken.

When the three of us got back to the house, Cairo and Riley tried to put bag after bag of ice on my nose, stop the bleeding, and find some kind of home remedy they could use to fix it. The bleeding, thankfully, stopped after I quit listening to Cairo and Riley argue about whether I should be tilting my head back to stop the bleeding or not, and just sat there, holding a large towel over it. Either way there wasn't much we could do to fix it, so it was no surprise that when we heard the key in the front door about half an hour later, the towel was still over my nose and Cairo and Riley were still arguing.

"Maybe she needs to go to the hospital!" Cairo was yelling.

"Hell _naw_! Nigga, do we have insurance?" Riley shouted back. "She betta smack a steak on dat bitch and call it something!"I merely rolled my eyes, rising to my feet. Maybe if I could just go to my room and stay in there for a while, I could completely stop the bleeding and blame the bruising on a fall. That way, none of us would get in trouble.

At least I'd considered that until the three of us froze at the sound of the front door opening, heavy footsteps entering, and the closing of the door. "Hello?"

We all froze. _Huey_.

"Shit!" Cairo yelled, scooping me up and hauling me over his shoulder like a backpack; I gripped my nose, squeaking into his back. "Oh, sorry. Riley, get rid of the ice bags and the tissues and the-"

"Guys?" Huey came into the room, and I could just feel his eyes doing a quick sweep of the perimeter before settling on us; feel them go from confused to suspicious in exactly two seconds. "What. The. Hell."

I heard Cairo offer Huey a nervous smile, as if he didn't have my butt pressed to the side of his face. "Well…Huey." He took a deep breath. "As you should already know, there's a perfectly good explanation for all of this."

"Yeah!" Riley chirped from behind me, trying not to laugh. His voice was followed by dead silence.

"Riley…why are you here," Huey asked slowly. "And not at work? You don't get off till five thirty!"

"Um, dat ain't what u need to be worried bout right bout now, son," Riley pointed out; I shut my eyes, mentally groaning. "Whatchu need to be worried about is Jazmine's nose. Aye. Cairo broke dat bitch."

My eyes popped open and I lifted my head, glaring at Riley above my cupped hands. Thanks to my new, upside down position, it had began to bleed again. "Riley! Ou asss!" I managed.

My voice, horribly messed up thanks to my nasal passages were all it took. The next thing I knew, I was falling onto my back on the couch, Riley was laughing, and Cairo was pinned to the floor in what looked to be a painful headlock, Huey's eyes murderous.

"Cairo!" He roared, causing me to flinch. "Are you insane? You _broke her nose?!"_

"Ewwey! Sop!" I tried, my hands still on my nose. Riley, beside me, was rolling on the floor, gripping his sides from laughing so hard. Cairo was struggling uselessly under Huey, his eyes panicked.

"Huey, I didn't!" He wheezed. "Riley's being an ass-"

"I will _kill_ you!" Huey yelled, squeezing harder. I got up, jumping on Huey's back and bonking him with my fists.

"Ewwey! E din' oo it!" I yelled in his ear. Huey froze, dropping Cairo like an empty soda can. "It waz a accident! I fawlt!"

"Accident?" I covered my nose as Huey turned around to look at me, his eyes critical. "Let me see." When I shook my head he knocked my hands away, examining my nose. Within seconds he was wincing, his own nose wrinkled. "Damn." He turned a furious eye back on Cairo but I grabbed his shoulder, shaking my head.

"Mhy fault," I tried again, my nose feeling a bit clearer. "I wonted ta go to da libury cas I wonted to find ow why mah parents was keeled an da libury wen boom an Kairow got us a way out bu I fell an 'it mah noose bu we got ome. So dere's no'in to 'orry bout, m'ay?"

Huey mainly stared at me, confused. "What?"

I sighed. Oh, well. I tried.

"Jazmine wanted to find out what happened to her parents, Huey." Cairo said in a curt voice, on his feet again. He was rubbing the back of his neck, scowling. "You know, since you never bothered telling her the truth. Like you've _never_ bothered telling her the truth since this whole thing's started-"

"Cairo, _shut up_." Huey snapped.

"No, you shut up!" Cairo shot back, angry. "Huey, you haven't been home during the days with Jazmine like I have, or noticed how sad she is! Your room isn't near her's like mine is, so you don't hear her crying out in her sleep like I do!"

I felt myself blush. Gee, I actually did that still? Well, this was getting awkward.

"If she was actually in, and I mean _really in_ with the resistance like the rest of us, then she could move on from her past better!" Cairo continued shouting, Huey's face unreadable. "If you took the time to explain things to her instead of expecting her to catch on, then things wouldn't be this way where we have to run around, trying to find the answers ourselves!" He tapped his forehead. "Have you even though about asking Jazmine how she feels? Do you even know what her life was like before she got here?"

"Cairo-" Huey began, but Cairo cut him off, rolling his eyes. I couldn't do anything more than stand there, staring at Cairo in awe.

"Did you know that before she got here, she was a receptionist who took night classes?" Cairo asked, ticking off facts on his fingers. "That she had a four point two GPA? That she likes only licorice flavored jellybeans, or that her old apartment building burned down and that she had to sleep in the back of her car for three weeks until she found another place to live?" He was practically screaming now, and the rest of us could only stare in shock. "Did you know that before she knew you were alive she used to beg God every night to give you her place in heaven, just so you could get in?"

I was _really_ blushing now. I knew from now on to never tell Cairo anything again. At least not if I didn't want my personal life to be put on blast in a fit of rage. I put a hand on Cairo's shoulder, the other still up to my nose, but he shrugged it off, heading for the stairs.

"For someone who did nothing but talk about bringing her here for a year, you sure aren't doing too much to help." And with that, he stomped up the stairs. Huey, Riley, and I, exchanged glances.

"Damn, nigga." Riley headed for the stairs as well, cackling. "Cairo told yo ass."

"Hush." Huey closed his eyes, rubbing his forehead. "Riley, leave me alone. Jazmine, sit down."

I did what I was told with no complaint, sinking onto the couch. Huey left the room, coming back almost a minute later with a towel and a first aid kit. "Move your hand," was all he said, his voice quiet. I did, my eyes on the floor, hands clasping together in my lap. He knelt down in front of me, opening the medium sized medical kit and rummaging through it. I could tell Cairo's words were still running through his head.

"It doesn't seem like it's broken, but I'm not sure," he said aloud, examining my nose and holding up some spray bottle. "I've got a friend who lives a few blocks over, she's a doctor. She could probably come look at it-"

He sprayed the substance on my nose and I yelped, nearly jumping out of my seat. "Ow!" I yelled, tears stinging my eyes.

"I know, but there's a cut on it-"

"It hurts!" I whimpered in an embarrassing voice. Huey looked bored.

"Well, if you'd stayed your ass here instead of sneaking off to libraries and nearly getting yourself blown up, it wouldn't be like this-"

"If you told me what happened to my parents in the first place-" I shouted back, my voice surprisingly clear. "-I wouldn't have had to!"

Huey opened his mouth before rethinking his words, letting his jaw clench. "Fine," He snapped, eyes narrowed. "You really want to know how your parents died?"

I nodded, my nose still stinging. Huey slapped an ice pack onto it, which made me shiver.

"Your dad was one of the leaders of the resistance," He said in a gruff voice, rummaging through the kit. I leaned back, holding the bag of ice up to my nose. "Of course you know he was a lawyer, so that made it easier for him to specifically decipher what the government was doing right and wrong. He started doing public defending as well as high profile court cases so that he could help keep more innocent people off the streets. He bailed out protestors. He was religious, but didn't think religion should determine the rights people should and shouldn't have. He was a good man."

I nodded.

"Your mother…" Huey looked nervous to keep going, but I stared him down until he caved in. "Your mother agreed with him, but she didn't like how involved he was becoming. She thought he was endangering her life, as well as you and his own. She wanted him to stop. She threatened to move away and take you with her if he didn't."

"How do…you know all this?" I asked weakly. Huey looked grim.

"Tom, Mr. DuBois, told me," He confessed. "He told me at granddad's wake, the night before the funeral. He wanted me to join the resistance, since Chicago is the main base of it, and I was moving here. New York's a close one as well.

"Anyways, Mr. DuBois wanted to go to Chicago as well, but he didn't want to involve you. Sarah…er, Mrs. DuBois, didn't want him to help out the resistance anymore. They got into an argument over it one night when they were driving home, and…" His voice trailed off, his eyes averted. I closed my eyes, my breathing loud in my eyes.

"They said…I was told it was a car accident that killed her." My voice was hollow, as hollow as the hole in my chest. Huey shook his head.

"A sniper was trying to take out your father. He missed. Sarah got hit instead."

It was a good thing that I was sitting down, otherwise my feet probably would've fell out from under me. I blinked at the tears in my eyes, unashamed of them. My nose was aching more than ever. "Oh," Was all I could manage to say, my throat choked. Huey was staring at me with sympathetic eyes.

"It broke your father's heart," he said quietly. "He stopped working for the resistance. He didn't want the same thing to happen to you. That's why he didn't want me contacting you anymore, why he stopped helping…he wanted to protect you."

"But they came for him anyway," I managed; Huey nodded. "When I was nineteen. I still remember the policeman that came to my house, saying he'd had a heart attack…that wasn't an accident either."

Huey shook his head, his eyes soft. "No." He took a deep breath. "He was murdered."

I bit on my fist, trying to stop the sobs that racked my body from escaping my throat. Huey was by my side in a second, his arms around my shoulders. "Is that why they were coming after me?" I choked, my arms encircling his waist, the ice pack forgotten by my socked feet. "Because he was a leader? Because-"

"They thought you'd follow in his path," Huey supplied. "Someone must've let the word out that one of the requirements of being a leader are that you be at least twenty-one."

"That's a random age."

"There's a lot of things about the world that are random right now." Huey's arms tightened. "Your dad stayed in contact with me most of the time before his death. He really didn't want you involved, and he tried to keep you out. But it looks like you were doomed from the start. They were coming for you."

"So you saved me. And I didn't even know it." I let out a sob, regretting all the resisting I'd done when I first got here. "I'm so sorry-"

"No. I'm sorry." Huey let his chin rest on the top of my head. "This shouldn't even involve you. This isn't your fight."

"Yes, it is." I thought of my dead parents, Huey's dead grandfather, and everyone's lives that had been altered by everything going on, by this "religious cleansing". I felt sick to my stomach just thinking about it. "I'm sick of being sheltered. I'm tired of being useless. I want to help."

"Jazmine-"

"No." I sat up, my eyes still overflowing, but my expression filled with anger. "Everyone's been trying to protect me and they've destroyed themselves in the process. I don't want anyone trying to take care of me. I can take care of myself." I leveled him with a glare. "I _want _to take care of myself. And I want to officially join the resistance."

"Wait-"

"NO." My voice was hard. "This is personal now, Huey."

"Do you even realize what you're saying?" Huey shouted, glaring. "This isn't rainbows and butterflies and sparkles, Jazmine! This is _real_! This isn't something you can take lightly, or just say you want in until the going gets tough, or any of that! This is our lives we're talking about!"

I didn't waver. "Then what are we doing just sitting here," I demanded quietly. "when we could be stirring shit up. _They killed my parents_."

"You're not the only one who's lost someone, Jazmine." Huey's voice was calm again. "Cairo lost his mom, Maya lost her family, riley and I lost ours. Duey's father was killed, Caesar's…well, Caesar's mom is in Europe with Cindy's parents, but still. Hiro's parents chose to stay in Woodcrest, and they were just reported as missing three days ago."

I froze. No wonder I hadn't heard much out of Hiro in the past few days.

"I know you being here at all is risky, but if your name gets out, if it's discovered that you're affiliated with the resistance, you could die." Huey's voice was hard. "There's a very good chance that you _will_ die."

"I could die tomorrow when I step out on the front porch," I said sarcastically. "I'm not going to sit here waiting for death to come get me. I want in."

Huey stared at me coldly.

"It's my _choice_." I leaned closer, until my battered nose was inches from his. "I haven't had a say in what happens to me for over five years. Well now, I do. And I want to help you guys."

Huey looked away silently, as if weighing his options. I knew that I didn't necessarily need his permission, but it did seem as if he was the leader of this house. Even if I didn't need his support, I still wanted it. I'd always wanted his support. I waited, my heart drumming steadily in my chest…

Finally, he nodded.

"Fine." He didn't sound too happy about it, but I did notice his mouth twitch upwards. He reached for the ice pack, gently holding it up to my nose. "Don't say I didn't warn you."

* * *

_It's not exactly the way I planned on ending it (the chapter, NOT the entire story! Don't hurt me!) but I think it works this way better, at least for future chapters._

_Not that most of you care, but I couldn't help but notice (being the dork I am, who makes character outlines and whatnot) that if the characters in the Boondocks were real people, Maya's birthday would've been two days ago. yup, July 13th. _

_:Notices odd stares: Well geez...fictional characters deserve birthdays too... :/_

_Thanks for the read!  
-Kelsey_


	9. Chapter Eight

_No, you aren't hallucinatng/seizing/dying of heat stroke. I really _am _updating. Woooo! The long delay was my fault; this is one of those chapters that doesn't give you much, but you pretty much need it. I'm sure next chapter, you'll understand._

_Right, big BIG thanks to MizzC, DarkSmile, Darelle The Author, Shadw, sweetiepye2, silversketch, TRIGGER MIKE THE GREAT, and YoungNeil for the reivews! If I've forgotten someone, I'm sorry. Really, I am. Me and planning for the return of college and whatnot...lame. And sorry to those who've been sending me messages, and I'm slow on the replying...yeah, another one of my redeeming qualities. :P_

_Disclaimer: I don't own the Boondocks._

Old Soul

Chapter Eight

_June 3, 2015  
Huey_

_Her soft, bronze colored curls, as bright as the sun, fanned lightly in the wind as she messed with them, her slender fingers working anxiously through the thick coils. It was actually very distracting. _

_"Do you think you could focus less on your hair and more on Pre-Algebra?" I couldn't help but ask, making a face as she continued to comb through her hair, her nose scrunched up in concentration. It was either that or disgust. "It's not summer yet."_

_"It will be in eight days!" Jazmine countered, examining the ends of her hair with critical eyes. "We've already got A's, Huey! There's no point in studying for a final exam we don't have to take. Besides." She lifted her chin in the air. "I have more pressing issues to worry about."_

_"Such as…" I rolled my eyes and Jazmine made another face._

_"Tessa McCoy said my hair reminded her of Clifford the Big Red Dog." Jazmine shook her head angrily, which was a bit funny since it made the curls frantically flop around. At least they were looser than they'd been her previous years so that they actually flowed, instead of making some yield sign shape. While I favored it natural she never seemed to shut up about it straight, so I let it go. "My hair does _not _look like that! It's not even red. Everyone always thinks its red…" She added softly, her feelings obviously hurt. I rolled my eyes again._

_"Your hair isn't red. It's just…that orangey, brownish, copper-ish, bronze-ish…kind of color." When Jazmine gave me a stricken look I shook my head, putting down my math book. "Jazmine, who cares?"_

_"Tessa McCoy."_

_I smirked. "Tessa McCoy can go to hell. _That's _your most pressing issue? The fact that some white girl with hair as translucent as Casper decided to take a crack at you because she's jealous?"_

_"She doesn't have anything to be jealous of," Jazmine replied sadly, glancing down at her math notebook. "I'm so ugly."_

_"Um…if you say so." I turned back to our books. "So, what's the answer to number five?"_

_"Huey!" Jazmine whined. "I'm emotionally fragile here! Come on!"_

_"Well, what the hell do you want me to do?" I asked, glaring into the bright sun. "If I tell you you're wrong, you won't listen to me. If I tell you that a lot more people wish they had your hair, your skin, your eyes…you wouldn't believe me. Besides, I hardly think that counts as a crisis right now."_

_"Then what does?" Jazmine asked. "Since I'm being so melodramatic."_

_"How about the fact that the principal just expelled three students that refused to go to prayer after school today?" I asked her, a bit irritated at how dense she could be. "Instead of regular detention for not turning in their homework he sent them to prayer because they're registered as atheists. Doesn't that bother you? That's completely against our rights to freedom of religion as Americans!" I goggled at her. "Doesn't that bother you in the slightest?"_

_Jazmine frowned. "Of course," She said softly. "That's not fair at all."_

_"Thank you." I settled back against our favorite tree, reaching for my math book again. "Not to mention, these dumb school uniforms we have to wear."_

_"They aren't _that _bad…" Jazmine tried, but stopped when I shot her a dirty look._

_"They are," I countered. "I don't know what the government thinks they're doing, but ever since our naval base got bombed and they started blaming terrorist religious groups, and with the fall of the democratic and republican parties…shit, it's not even much about that as it is electing the _wrong _people. Now look what we're being resorted to. And _why are you still wearing that?!_" I asked, my voice gruff. Jazmine's hand quickly moved to the tiny, gold cross that was above her right breast pocket on her school vest, flushing prettily._

_"Huey, come on. I'm supposed to. It's the rules."_

_"The rules? Do you realize they had patches that basically did the same thing during the Holocaust? We have rules that correspond with the Holocaust!" _

_"Huey, relax." Jazmine sighed. "It will get better soon."_

_"It won't." I couldn't help but toss her a glare. "At least, not for me. You have it pretty good with your little Catholic parents-"_

_"Don't you dare bring my parents into this, Huey Freeman!" Jazmine snapped. "You make it sound like a bad thing that we have a religion. Besides, it's not religion that destroys religion. People destroy religion._

_"Religion is manmade, Jazmine." I picked up my calculator. "Therefore, your entire statement is invalid."_

_Jazmine was at that point in her life that I'd always known would come; the point where she would quit going by what she'd been taught so that she could form her own opinions. Then again, it wasn't hard these days. With the new rules, the changing government…there was a lot going on that was forcing us to grow up faster than we should have. Still, she was entirely ignorant on some subjects, and I knew that this was a time where she couldn't afford to be. _

_"I worry about you, Huey," Jazmine said quietly. My head snapped up from my book but she was staring straight ahead, staring out over the hill. Her hair fanned around her face. "Do you think I feel good, knowing that my religion is supposedly what makes me superior? I'm not superior to anyone. We're all equal." She looked over at me. "I'm afraid that someone's going to come for you one day."_

_The corners of my lips turned upwards. "They won't. And if they do, they won't catch me."_

_"You're right," Jazmine said fiercely. Anger burned in her eyes. "I won't let them."_

_Now _that _made me laugh. "Jazz, what are you gonna do? Harm them?" I waved my hand dismissively at her. "You're underweight as it is, so it's not like they couldn't toss you aside. You cried in physical science when Mrs. Martinez killed that fly-"_

_"It wasn't bothering anyone!" Jazmine frowned. "I don't care what you say, Huey. If you need me, I'm going to be there." She nodded, as if her words were final. "And that's that."_

_"Fine." I set my book aside, rising to my feet. "Then let's work on forms again. I want to see if your punches are any stronger."_

_"But I thought you wanted to do math?" Jazmine sighed. I rolled my eyes at her. The girl was so lazy it was a wonder she didn't gain any weight, considering that she didn't do anything but eat, sleep, and harass me. Then again she swam a lot, so she had an athletic body. Even if it was cold out she still went to the Y for their heated pool. _

_"Get up. Now."_

_"No. Not talking to me like that- AIHHHHH!!!!" I'd effortlessly picked her up over my shoulder, setting her on her feet. She smacked me in the chest. "What did I tell you about carrying me around like in some cabbage patch kid?"_

_"Whatever." I smirked. "You have too much hair to be one." When she frowned, I took a strand of her hair, rubbing it. The soft strands felt silky smooth against the tips of my fingers. "And your hair is fine. _Also_," I added as she opened her mouth. "It isn't red."_

_Jazmine managed a smile. "I knew it." Before I could react she was standing on her tiptoes, pressing her lips softly against my cheek. "You are nice. Thank you."_

_"…yeah…" _

_Already the moment was over and she was dancing to some unheard song, spinning in circles around me, that stupid cross glinting on her blouse. While she wasn't paying attention I let my fingers rest against my cheek, feeling myself flush._

_Well. That wasn't normal._

_"Come on, Huey!" Jazmine was laughing with new energy, gesturing to me as if she was some pedophile offering me free candy. "Come here so I can whoop that ass!"_

_In a second my flush was gone and I was laughing myself. "That's what you think!" I said as we ran towards each other, engaged in a fake battle that, as usual, I would let her win._

* * *

_October 19, 2022  
Cindy_

Honestly, I didn't know what the problem was. If I'm in _my _room, with _my _door locked, minding _my _own business, then what the hell does everyone else need to concern themselves for?

That's what I was asking myself when I heard a soft, yet firm, knock on my door that afternoon. At least, I guess it was afternoon. I'd had my curtains shielding my room against the natural light for so long I couldn't even tell. I opened my mouth to speak; only I couldn't find the words. Instead, I let it close and curled up into a ball, pulling my bedcovers over my head.

"Cindy?" I heard a strong, masculine voice, and for the first time in days I felt my heart beating in my chest, the familiar rush of blood racing through my veins again. Somehow, just from his tone, I felt myself waking up from what seemed to be a nightmare. "Cindy, it's me. Huey."

Suddenly, it all came crashing back down again. Oh.

It wasn't him.

"Can you open the door?" I could hear the boredom in his voice, not that I blamed him. Huey never had time for emotional antics, only logics. "I really don't want to have to pick the lock."

I shrugged to myself, my chin to my chest. "You have a master key," I managed, my throat dry and my voice weak. "Use it."

I didn't really want to see him. I didn't really want to see anyone. Regardless, I heard a key in the lock, turning until there was a click, and before I knew it Huey's surprisingly light footsteps were in my room. It always amused me that considering he was a six foot one man, he had feet graceful as a dancer's. At this moment though, it just annoyed me even more.

"Go away." I peeked over the blankets, growing increasingly angrier at the fact that I hadn't had a chance to shower in practically two days and that my room probably smelled like death itself. Sure enough I noticed Huey's nose wrinkle, but he kept his comments to himself. Instead he lowered himself onto the edge of my bed, giving me a concerned look.

I stared back, my spine stiff. "Yes?"

"Cindy, come on." Huey didn't sound impatient, as I'd expected him to. He merely sounded…sad.

Sad? For who, me? Or for having to drag himself into my armpit scented room and make sure I was more than a dead carcass?

Ever since Caesar and I had unceremoniously broken up over his failed marriage proposal, all I could do was blame myself. I mean, who else's fault could it be? We hardly ever argued, and if we did it was solved in less than five minutes. We'd been dating for years. Why had I gone and screwed it up? I could've at least said yes, worn the ring, and we could've been married sometime off in the future. Not exactly _right this instant._

Wasn't that what he had tried to explain to me? Why was I just comprehending it now, when it was too late to repair what was so terribly broken?

"What do you mean "come on"?" I asked, not able to keep the slight tremor out of my voice. I hoped he didn't notice the puffiness of my eyes, the way that my usually shiny hair was now matted and limp on my pale scalp. He sighed, staring down at his feet.

"He just doesn't understand, Cin. That's all." He glanced back up at me, his mahogany eyes seemingly piercing through my chest, as if reading my heart. "He understands there's a war within our own government. He comprehends that this could be life or death for us. He just doesn't see why you two can't look for a future. He's upset, and he's hurt." He shook his head. "Caesar's a great guy, and he's so perceptive." He shrugged. "He wasn't saying you had to get married as soon as possible. He simply wanted to have something to look forward to, to be able to look past this conflict."

"But Huey." My throat locked, and tears welled in my eyes. All I'd done was cry for the past few days, yet my body kept tapping into some unknown water storages. It was getting ridiculous, yet I couldn't stop. Before I knew it I was shaking, my fists clenching the covers in front of me. "It hurts."

Before I had the chance to breathe Huey was reaching across the bed, wrapping his arms around me and drawing me into an embrace I didn't know he was capable of giving. Instead of tensing or being self conscious I only let myself break down, my sobs racking through my body, my fists clenching at him as if he were my lifeline. "He h-hates me! It h-hurts so bad-"

"I know," Huey whispered, his chin on my head. I curled up tighter as if somehow I could keep the pain out. "Cindy, I know it hurts. But you're stronger than this. You're too strong to just curl up in your bed and let everything pass you by. That isn't you."

"I know." Truthfully, I didn't. I didn't know who I was anymore. Not without Caesar, when he'd completed me for so long. "I just…I'm so _miserable_."

Huey nodded.

"And I know you have much more on your plate because you're in charge," I couldn't help but belt, rubbing my eyes and sitting up. The words came rushing out like a waterfall. "I know you're busy and you don't have time for this pettiness, but-"

"You and Caesar are both my friends," Huey interrupted, his brow raised and his words sharp. "My _best _friends. You're both important, and your well-being means a lot to me. Stop being so stupid."

I hiccupped.

"I can't exactly roam around the house expressing my feelings like some hallmark card, because that's not who I am," He went on, his tone serious. "I think wasting your energy on emotional conflict is a bad way to spend constructive time. But I know you aren't like that." He paused. "A lot of people aren't like that."

I stared at him, my eyes wide as a newborn's. Huey sat still beside me, his hands on his knees. I rested my head on his shoulder, feeling immensely grateful that for the first time in days, someone bothered to care. That he'd cared enough to break through the walls I'd tried so hard to put up.

"Stay here," I asked softly, my eyes on the floor, my feet tucked under me. "Just for a little while."

There was a slight pause, and then Huey's arm wrapped around my shoulders. "Alright," He agreed, staring down at me. "Just for a little while."

* * *

_July 5, 2012  
Jazmine_

_"….an air attack made on the world's largest naval base-"_

_"-The empire state building was struck during the late afternoon-"_

_"Death toll's still rising…"_

_"What does this all mean?" I asked softly, my eyes scanning over the faces that were all assembled in the Freeman living room. Mom and Dad, as well as Mr. Freeman, looked grim._

_"There was an attack, honey," Dad said, his voice seemingly distant. "Several attacks, to be exact-"_

_"There was an air attack on the Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Norfolk, Virginia," Huey cut in, his eyes frozen on the TV screen in front of us, unblinking. "It's the largest naval base in the world. A second attack was made on the Empire State Building in New York City. A third attack was launched in Seattle, Washington, while a fourth assault was made in Chicago."_

_I swallowed, my eyes widening."Was it terrorists?!"_

_"No, honey." Mom's voice sounded sad, shocked. "Not all the information's out, but…they believe it was members of our own government."_

_"…Are they terrorists?"_

_"No, Jazmine!" Huey suddenly snapped, causing everyone to jump. He slammed his fist on the coffee table. "It wasn't any damn terrorists, any foreigners, or any of your damn imaginary friends! It was our own pilots! Our own military! Our own _military_ that's supposed to protect our country turned against us!"_

_"Damn it, boy!" Mr. Freeman snapped, advancing on Huey as tears filled my eyes. "Calm down! Slammin yo fist like you got some authority in this house-"_

_"Granddad!" Huey snapped, impatient. "How can she be such a naïve child?"_

_"You will _not_ talk about my daughter that way!" Dad suddenly snapped, outraged. "She's a twelve year old girl, Huey!"_

_"I'm a twelve year old _boy_, Tom!" Huey shot back, rising to his feet. His figure was blurred by the tears that were now falling down my cheeks. "I'm a twelve year old boy younger than her! I can still see what's going on! Why do you sit there and defend her for being so out of touch with our-"_

_"Don't you dare try to take my daughter's innocence from her-"_

_"She's going to have to lose it eventually, Mr. DuBois!" Huey shook his head. "You're only making it worse-"_

_"Stop it! Now!" Mom suddenly yelled, causing me to shriek. She came over and pulled me into her arms, and I couldn't help it; I started crying. Fat tears flew down my face, and my sobs practically drowned out everything else in the room. "We don't need this right now! None of us."_

_The room fell silent and I could feel everyone's eyes on me. I buried my face in my mom's blouse, avoiding their gazes. "Just keep yo mouth shut," I heard Mr. Freeman snap towards Huey. "Shit. Everyone doesn't have the IQ of a damn android…"_

_"What's going to happen?" I whispered, shivering. I felt mom's hands smoothing over my shoulders, over my back. For the first time in my life, they did nothing to soothe me._

_"We don't know, honey. We don't know."_

_

* * *

_

_October 19, 2022  
Huey_

"Are you alright? You look tired."

"I'm fine." I was leaning against the wall and Maya was beside me, her brown eyes regarding me with concern. "Just tired."

"Aye! Nigga, we outta toilet paper!" Riley suddenly hollered, passing us both with a stack of plates in his hand. Since he no longer had to work and Jazmine instead went down to the Y four times a week to be a lifeguard, he was doing more things around the house to lighten the load. I was probably the most surprised out of everyone. I guess even he had a soft spot for Jazmine, who had put him up to the deal.

"Then walk down to the Giant and buy some!" I shot back, rolling my eyes and pushing myself off the wall. It was almost dinner, probably the most chaotic point of the day, and I was making my rounds, making sure that everyone was alright and there wasn't any sort of conflict that I should know about. One thing about groups of people was that there was always a risk of drama. With a new female added to the group?

The odds were even higher.

"Jazmine." I spotted her jogging down the stairs, wiping her hands on the hem of her T shirt. I managed to spot a belly button ring winking at me before the material covered it again. "A belly button ring?" I asked with a mixture of surprise and amusement. "When did that happen?"

"Gee, Huey, when I was like, seventeen?" Jazmine rolled her eyes, giving me a smirk. "I guess you wouldn't know much about me when I was seventeen, huh?"

"Stop being such a smartass." I beckoned her closer. "Nose check."

She stepped in front of me and I peered down at it, noticing the faint green tinge that still dotted the corner of it before gently flicking it with my index finger. She winced, but recovered quickly. "Just bruised," I noted aloud, already moving past her. "You heal quickly. Give it a few more days and it'll probably be back to normal. Caesar! You good?"

"Yeah, man." Caesar was heading to the dining room like everyone else, a cup in his hand. "Just…you know. Chillin."

"Right." I clapped him on the back, more aware of his inner turmoil than he was. "It's alright. You two will work it out."

"I don't know if we can…"

"Huey! The computer froze!" Hiro suddenly burst into the living room, his hair wild and his eyes worse. "I don't know what happened!"

"What the hell? Riley!" I yelled at the top of my lungs. "The computer froze! Were you watching celebrity sex tapes again?"

"Bitch, you ain't my daddy!" Riley shot back, his head poking around the corner. He popped a roll into his mouth. "The fuck wrong wit you?"

"What the hell is wrong with _you_?" I shot back, storming up to him and smacking him in the back of the head. "If you wanna use a computer to do useless shit, use a laptop! We need the desktop, you dumbass!"

"Alright, alright, fine!" Riley slouched away, rolling his eyes. "Gay nigga…"

"Duey, go see if you can reboot the computer without losing anything on the hard drive," I shot out towards Duey as I walked past him. Duey, whose mouth had been hanging open as if he were about to speak, glared at me before stomping away. "Cindy, aren't you hungry?"

Cindy shrugged, her eyes still on the TV from her place on the sofa. I shook my head, grabbing the remote from the arm of the chair and cutting it off.

"Hey!"

"Go in the dining room. I need to talk to everyone about tomorrow." I watched her slowly rise to her feet, her eyes on the floor. "Besides, you haven't had a decent meal in days. Jazmine's been worried about you."

Cindy offered me the tiniest of smiles before slouching off. I sighed, rubbing my forehead.

"Where's Cairo?" Maya asked. I blinked, only just realizing that she'd been following me the entire time.

"Huh? Cairo?" I glanced around before shrugging. "Probably sneaking a cigarette and thinking that he's getting away with it."

"I was doing no such thing," Cairo put in, the front door shutting behind him. He locked it before turning around to glare at us. "I was out ordering a cake."

"Cake?" I stared. "For _what_?"

"Um, duh." Cairo rolled his eyes. "My birthday's in three days."

"Oh. Shit," I mumbled. Maya covered her mouth with her hand.

""Oh shit" is right." Cairo gave Maya and me a grin. "I could give two shits about it. I just want an excuse to eat crap."

"I guess I gotta give you a gift now," Maya sighed, flipping back her ponytail. I saw Cairo's eyes light up.

"That won't be necessary." He walked closer until he was in front of Maya, and grabbed her hand in his much bigger one. "Just being able to see your beautiful face every day is enough."

I gagged. Cairo shot me a dirty look. Maya laughed, her face tinged pink.

'If you two are done with your love fest, I would love to get started now," I said, my foot tapping impatiently. "Especially while I have everyone in one place, being that that's pretty hard to do here."

"Fine, Freeman." Cairo walked ahead of us into the dining room, where everyone else was already sitting around the table, eating dinner. I shrugged off Maya, stepping in front of the dining room table. "Alright, guys. Listen up."

Everyone continued chatting and eating as if I wasn't even in the room. I arched an eyebrow. Oh, they had to have lost their minds.

"Excuse me…ex_cuse_ me…HEY!"

At once everyone's heads snapped towards me, eyes wide. "WHAT?" Jazmine snapped back. Caesar, Riley, and Cairo, who had managed to find an empty chair beside Jazmine, laughed. I rolled my eyes.

"Alright, here's the deal." I began pacing, my hands behind my back. "There's a protest tomorrow. A major one."

A few murmurs began to echo through the room, but I held up a hand before it could get worse. "You know that I feel as if we can all go to larger ones. There's more crowds, less chance of any of us being identified. Tomorrow, however, is supposed to have lots of cops, lots of people against our cause…therefore, I think the number should be cut."

"Cut?" Caesar glanced around the table before giving me a look. "Cut as in…"

"Cut as in four of us, total."

Everyone exchanged glances. "You mean, four of us, you included, go to the protest, and five people stay home?" Caesar finally asked, breaking the silence.

"Wow. You _do _know math." I waited for the snickers to die down. "Ceez, any more would be risky."

"I think us going in general would be risky." Hiro shrugged, a forkful of pasta inches from his lips. "If we're even going to bother risking showing up in the first place then we all might as well go."

"We still need someone around here though, to make sure no one on the outside's getting suspicious about us," Maya countered, her arms folded beside me. I glanced towards her, grateful. Sometimes it was always a good thing, her always siding with me.

"I haven't forgotten about that visit the cops gave us," I told the group. "I don't want anyone snooping around without us knowing."

Hiro nodded thoughtfully.

"Look, it's not our first protest, it's not our last. Well…hopefully," I added, stroking my chin. "Right. Who wants to go?"

As expected, everyone had a hand shoot up. I pinched the bridge of my nose, closing my eyes. Great.

"Okay…who went to the one in Madison? Back in July?"

Hiro and Riley exchanged glances before slowly lowering their hands, both of them frowning. Caesar smirked. I nodded.

"Man, dat's bullshit," Riley mumbled. Everyone ignored him.

"Alright…Jazmine." When Jazmine's eyes met mine I gave her a shrug. "You're kind of new, so maybe you should sit this one-"

"Don't you dare, Huey Freeman," Jazmine shot back, folding her arms defiantly. "Stop trying to coddle me. I am not a baby, and you aren't going to treat me like one. I'm just as capable as the rest of you."

"Yeah," Maya added, snorting. Her arms were crossed as well. "By all means, please let her go. Let the proposed future leader of the resistance make her debut. Her father would be so proud."

Jazmine stood up so fast that her chair almost fell over; Cindy managed to tug her back down into her seat. They both glowered towards Maya, who ignored them. Irritated myself, I shrugged, giving her another stare.

"Great idea, Maya." When her eyes widened, I shoved my hands in my pockets. "I guess it would be a good idea for her to get some exposure, and what better way than her taking your place?"

Maya's jaw dropped. "_What?_"

"Dayum, nigga!" Riley cackled, holding his sides. "Yo ass got DE-NIED!"

"Can I sit this one out, Huey?" Cindy asked, her chin in her hands. Her food sat in front of her, untouched. "I just don't feel up to it. Maya can go in my place."

"Fine." I folded my arms. "So it's going to be Caesar, Jazmine, Maya and me. Everyone agree?"

"Sure." Hiro shrugged.

"Whatever," Riley put in.

Cindy waved her hand dismissively towards me, picking at her pasta.

"Hell _no_." Cairo frowned. "I want to go!"

"Aw, come on, Cairo!" I sighed. I should've known this wouldn't be resolved so easily. "It's one protest-"

"It's a _major_ protest! You said so yourself! Besides-" Cairo put on a sad face. "It's almost my birthday."

"Seriously?" I shook my head. "What does your birthday have to do with anything?"

"Yeah, nigga! You whack anyways!" Riley chided. Cairo sucked his teeth.

"But I'm gonna be twenty two!" He whined. Jazmine snorted.

"Been there, done that," She said.

"True," Hiro and Caesar agreed in unison. Cairo slouched in his chair, arms folded.

"Fine." To my surprise Maya rolled her eyes, her hand on her lip. "You can go in my place. Consider it your birthday gift."

Cairo sat up so suddenly he almost flew out his chair. "Word?"

"I said I would, didn't I?"

"Aww, Maya." Cairo grinned. "You're the best."

"Don't I know it?"

"Alright, fine." I was just ready to go to bed already. "Me, Caesar, Cairo, Jazmine. Alright?"

Everyone nodded except for Riley and Maya, who both made faces.

"Good. Then everyone rest up." I leveled them all with a glance. "Tomorrow's going to be a long day."

And with that, I walked out the room.

* * *

_Duey_

I waited until the house grew silent, until I heard the last pair of footsteps that creak over the basement faded. I roused myself from my trance-like slumber, my bare feet finding the cold floor with ease.

"Nigga," I heard Riley mutter sleepily from his bed on the opposite end of the basement. "The hell you doin?"

"None of your business. Go back to sleep," I mumbled, already running up the stairs. I reached the first floor, my eyes squinting in the bright hall light that always stayed on at night. Racing up the stairs to the second floor, I lightened my footsteps as I got to the bedroom door. I knocked, and waited.

After a few seconds, the door cracked open and Cairo popped his head out, his expression groggy.

"Duey?"

"Hey, man." I shook one of my braids out of my face.

"What-"

"How come you didn't tell Huey I wanted to go to the protest?" I asked, my voice severe. Cairo blinked.

"…you wanted to go to the protest?" He looked genuinely confused.

"Yes!" I hissed, throwing up my hands. I kept my voice low to avoid waking everyone else. "I don't ever get to go, Cairo. _Ever_. Let me go in your place."

"What? No way!" Although sleepy, it was obvious that my ex best friend wasn't tired enough to give in so easily. "Dues, I'm sorry no one was aware you wanted to go. But what's done is done."

"But-"

"Just go next time. There's gonna be a next time. You know that." Cairo squinted into the hallway. "Why are you up so late? Why didn't you just bring it up earlier?"

"Because," I growled, hardly able to keep my temper in check. "While you were all deciding who got to go, I was fixing the damn computer! It's not fair!" My fist clenched. "No one ever asks my opinion on anything, and I'm never included in plans! How am I supposed to be a part of the resistance if I'm such an outcast?"

"Dues." Cairo looked dead on his feet, as if his hand on the doorframe was the only thing keeping him standing upright. "Look. You're obviously just tired-"

"Am _not_!"

"You're my best friend. How could you even think you're an outcast?"

"I _used_ to be your best friend, before you and Huey got buddy buddy," I mumbled. Cairo leveled me with a long stare.

"Huey and I were friends for a long time. You can't get jealous about that."

"I'm _not_," I emphasized, "jealous." I watched Cairo shake his head. Before he opened his mouth, I already knew he didn't believe me.

Did I even believe myself?

"Just go to bed, man." And with that, Cairo shut the door in my face. I stared at the door for a long moment before turning slowly on my heel, glaring at the other three doorways on the floor.

Cindy. Maya. Jazmine.

Stupid bitches. I was friends with Cairo before _any _of them, and they had more power over Cairo than even I did. I imagined the three of them, sleeping soundly in their beds. I thought about Hiro, Huey, and Caesar in their rooms on the third floor, doing the same.

I bet everyone just felt so good about themselves, excluding me.

All the time I'd been here, I'd never been treated like a real member of the resistance. Everyone took my presence for granted. Everyone took _me _for granted.

I'd been tired of it for a long, long time.

I shook my head, a smile spreading slowly across my face as I descended the stairs, picking up a bottle of water from the kitchen before vanishing down the stairs.

I knew that they wouldn't feel that way for too much longer. Any of them.

* * *

_Cairo and I have something in common: both of us have a birthday in three days. BOO YA._

_Also, nerd Kelsey strikes again; Hiro's birthday was August 3. So, happy birthday Hiro, from those of us (i.e., me) who need to get a life and stop making such extensive profiles fo each character. (Yes, I am aware these characters aren't real people. So sue me. :P)_

_Thanks for the read! :)  
-Kelsey_

* * *


	10. Chapter Nine

_So, if this seems short to any of you...that just sucks for you. Hahaha. Because this is sixteen pages worth of vigorous typing. After a day/night of partying (Cause yesterday, August 13, was mah birthday. I'm 19, bitchez!), it was a killer. But I really wanted to get to the next chapter, because it's probably going to be one of my favorite ones If I can pull it off..._

_Yeah, thanks to MizzC, Shadw, and Boondocksgroupie1 for the reviews! I'm going to assume everyone else thought I abandoned this and haven't yet read it, which is why there aren't as many reviews...joking._

_...But really. Review. Gosh. :P_

_Warning: May contain several errors, as this was proofread by a sleepy, groggy, and possibly hungover author. Who, sadly, has a doctor's appointment at 10:45 am. And it's now 2:04 am.  
...Yikes._

_Disclaimer: I still don't own the Boondocks._

* * *

Old Soul

Chapter Nine

_October 20, 2022  
Maya _

It was quiet.

That was the first thing I noticed when I walked downstairs, a blanket wrapped around my shoulders. Everyone seemed to be so hot natured around the house that when I complained it was cold they simply waved off my protests...which was why we were probably the only house in Chicago that had the air conditioner on full blast in the middle of October, where it was thirty one degrees outside.

Sons of bitches.

I crept into the kitchen, surprised at how large and spacious it seemed without the usual crowd of people in it. It seemed as if I could come in to get a glass of water at three in the morning and there'd always be someone there. Today? Empty.

Weird. I glanced over my shoulder, spying the gray, overcast skies that gave everything a haunting look about it. I squinted.

Was it…snowing?

"For god's sakes, it's only fucking October!" I groused, adjusting my blanket and walking into the hallway to adjust the thermostat. Shit, no one was around, I was freezing my ass off, and it was snowing. If everyone thought I'd keep the air on, they were out of their minds.

I poked my hand from out the cover, my fingers inches from the thermostat. "What are you doing?" A harsh voice suddenly demanded form behind me. I yelped and spun around, my hand to my chest.

"Duey!" I gasped, shaking my head. "You ass!" I tilted my head to the side, studying him. "You alright?"

Duey seemed to be unusually pale, and he was slouched even lower than usual. His brown eyes were downcast, his hands deep in the pockets of his sweatpants. Had he always looked like that, or was I just noticing?

"What are you doing here?" He asked slowly, his eyes locked on mine. I raised an eyebrow.

"I live here?" I shook my head, wrapping the blanket tighter to my body. "I just woke up. Where's everyone else?"

"Hiro's upstairs," Duey replied instantly, jabbing a finger behind his back, towards the stairs. "He got a call early this morning. His parents were found." He shrugged his shoulders. "Dead."

"Oh no." I covered my mouth with my hand, my eyes wide as saucers. "How is he?"

"Well…" Duey's eyes stared out from beneath his curtain of braids, haunting. "He isn't dead."

I felt my face wrinkle, but before I could respond he was already slouching downstairs into the basement. I ran to the doorway, poking my head into the darkness.

"What about everyone else?" I asked, not liking the uneasy feeling that was creeping into me. I gasped as Duey's head poked out the darkness.

"Gone." He turned around, disappearing into the darkness again. "Don't worry. They'll be back in time."

"Back in time for _what_?" I demanded, only my question was met by the empty air between us.

_

* * *

_

_Jazmine_

Huey had informed me of everything he thought I'd need to know about the protest.

But I hadn't imagined that it would be so…crazy.

The streets, main streets of Chicago I was assuming, since I knew nothing about the city, were filled with colorful street vendors, colorful clothes, colorful people and a vast array of foods I'd heard of, tasted, or never seen in my life. The sidewalks and roads were so filled with people accidentally bumping each other that I was surprised that no one had started fighting yet. That was another surprising fact. Everyone was so…friendly. Peaceful. People weren't even this nice in Woodcrest, and this city was probably five times as big.

"Smile for the video, Jazz!" I heard Caesar laugh from behind me. I spun around and immediately shielded my face with gloved hands from the video camera he was pointing towards it. "What are you doing?" I asked, laughing myself. Caesar lowered the lens, grinning.

"Filming the protest, for the unlucky souls at home that are missing out." He tugged his beanie further down over his head, his breath coming out of his mouth in foggy puffs. Good thing there were so many people insulating us, or I'd probably be freezing my ass off. "Exciting, huh?"

"Very." I grinned before turning to my right, where I poked Huey. "You make things sound so grave, Freeman." I waved my hands in a grand circle around us, almost hitting an older man in the head with my elbow. "This is fun!"

"Yeah. Fun." Huey rolled his eyes before suddenly going up and jabbing Cairo, who was a little ways away from us. "Cairo!" He snapped, his eyes dangerously narrowed. "Are you _smoking_?"

"What? No, no way!" Cairo dropped his hand, but not quickly enough for us not to notice a lit cigarette dangling from his gloved fingers. A stream of smoke also passed between his lips that was a lot thicker than Caesar's air-induced puffs. "Why would I do such a thing?"

Huey yanked the cigarette out his hand and stomped on it, extinguishing it instantly. Cairo's shoulders slumped. "Smoking can _kill_, Cairo." He kept walking, his hands in his pockets and his expression smug. "You'll thank me later."

"Ahhhh. You bitch." Cairo sighed, running a hand over his head. "Oh, well. There's more where that came from." He elbowed me, brightening. "He doesn't know about my stash behind my bed."

I rolled my eyes, linking my arms through Caesar and Cairo's. "So, where exactly are we going right now?" I asked, watching Huey's retreating back. His afro, caught in a ponytail, bobbed through the crowd. "And why is he leaving us?"

"Well, the actually rally starts at five, and it's two thirty now," Caesar said, eyeing his watch. "So we'll probably grab something to eat, go listen to some of these goons attempt to play guitar-"

"Some of the goons can," Cairo cut in, shrugging. "They just can't sing."

"And some of them can play _and_ sing. I just don't care." Caesar grinned. "Bet they can't serenade the ladies like I can-"

"No one can serenade the ladies like you, bro." Cairo snickered. I made a face.

"Okay, can you two cut the gayness? I'm hungry!" I stomped my foot so that my black fuzzy boot's strings, the ends decorated with big black puffs, bounced around. "Feed me!"

" Alright, alright, fine." Cairo grudgingly took out his wallet, fishing for cash. "It ain't our fault that you didn't eat breakfast."

"I was _nervous_," I told him, my nose in the air. "I can't believe you two insisted that we take motorcycles. I didn't even know you all _had _two motorcycles." I rolled my eyes. "And the roads were icy and the way Huey turned corners made me think that we were going to fly off the road-"

"But that's the beauty of it!" Caesar explained as the three of us walked towards some indoor café that lined the street. "You see we beat traffic-"

"Illegally-"

"-Because we could easily maneuver through the cars. We didn't have to wait for parking-"

"Also illegally-"

"Because they had special parking spaces that we just _happened _to be able to use-"

"How do you think that you can get away with using a handicapped sticker for a motorcycle?" I threw up my hands. "Handicapped people can't ride motorcycles!"

"Sure, they can!" Cairo pushed open the door, and a blast of heat hit us. I sighed in relief; my nose had felt like an ice cube.

"Anyways, where'd Huey go?" I asked again as we waited at the back of the line that had formed in the entryway. "You know, since you two fail at answering questions."

"Well, _mama_," Caesar replied smoothly, nodding towards the hostess who beckoned us further. "Huey is preparing for later tonight. Because, you see, he's giving a speech."

I glanced up, fascinated. "Speech?"

"Yep. Huey's pretty good." Cairo brushed his shoulders, his face cocky. "But I'd be better."

"Boy, boo." Caesar shoved Cairo, laughing as he almost hit an old woman, who swatted him with her cane and marched off. "I'm sure she disagreed as well."

"Man, suck my-"

"Table for three?" The hostess asked. Cairo nodded earnestly.

"Smoking or non-smoking?" She asked casually, plucking three menus from behind the podium she was standing near.

"Smoking-" Cairo started.

"Non-smoking," Caesar and I countered, glaring at him. Cairo glared back. The hostess shrugged.

"Majority rules," She said simply, walking towards a set of tables on the side of the restaurant that were significantly less foggy. Caesar and I high fived. Cairo rolled his eyes.

"I hate you both," He muttered as we followed the hostess to our table.

* * *

_February 11, 2016  
Huey_

_"Huey? Can I talk to you for a second?"_

_I glanced up from where I was glued to the uncomfortable pew, my arms folded over my chest and a scowl on my face. Tom DuBois was standing there, staring at me, his eyes pleading. My scowl deepened. If there was anyone that I didn't feel like talking to during my grandfather's wake, during my last night in Woodcrest, it was my annoyingly overbearing neighbor. Which was exactly why I responded with a quick shake of the head followed by a full body turn forward, signaling that I was through with the conversation._

_Tom, however, didn't give up._

_"Huey, please." I was startled to hear his voice break a little. "This is important."_

_I glanced around the quiet church, ignoring the hushed voices and the occasional sympathetic glance that was thrown my way. "How important?" I asked quietly, my voice curt. "In case you haven't noticed, I'm busy mourning here."_

_"I know." Tom glanced around, his voice considerably louder than mine. "But I really need to discuss your grandfather's will with you-"_

_"First off, he didn't leave us shit," I stated bluntly, forgoing all formalities. "He told us so several times before he died. Second of all, do you think this is an appropriate time for that?" I cast a concerned glance towards Riley, who was on the opposite end of the church, glaring out the window. For him to be as quiet as he was was a blessing as well as a reason to be worried. "Granddad just died two days ago, Mr. DuBois. Give me a break."_

_"Huey." Tom suddenly leaned forward, his lips inches from my ear. Before I could recoil, I heard him whisper, "This is about my daughter."_

_My eyebrows lifted slightly and I lifted my head to stare at him. He stared back, his eyes as hollow as I felt. I remembered that he too was suffering, that he had more reason to be upset than I did. I thought of Jazmine, alone at home right now, because her own mother was six feet under. I rose to my feet._

_"Where do you want to go?" I asked in a low voice. Tom beckoned me towards him, and I followed him out of the sanctuary of the church to the entrance. When he ducked into a side corridor beside the staircase, I made a face, but did the same._

_"Huey." Tom's eyes bore into mine, his expression a rare one of extreme seriousness. "Listen to me. Please."_

_I nodded._

_"Huey, I am sorry about your grandfather," He began slowly, his voice soft. "I really am."_

_I shrugged. "Being sorry isn't going to do much of anything for anyone, Mr. DuBois."_

_"I know." His shoulders slumped. "But I know how hard it is on you and your brother. To have to move, restart your lives…" His words trailed off, and his eyes narrowed. "But in some ways, it might be a good chance for you."_

_I raised an eyebrow. "Huh?"_

_"Have you heard of the resistance?" Tom suddenly asked. I sucked my teeth. I'd heard of them, followed their work, but…_

_"What do they have to do with Jazmine, Mr. DuBois?" I asked. _

_"It has everything to do with Jazmine, and nothing at all," He replied smoothly. "Huey, I want you to join the resistance."_

_I laughed. "And what makes you think I'm going to do that?" I shook my head. "My grandfather was just killed, and you think I'm going to risk my aunt and my own brother's lives? My own life?" I shook my head again, faster. "No. Hell no."_

_"Huey, hear me out," Tom pleaded, blocking my path when I tried to move past him. "The resistance is a good cause. They're trying to right this wrong."_

_"Yes. And all of them are _dying_," I pointed out. "Not let me go."_

_"No. Huey, how can you sit there and turn down such an opportunity when you're always talking about how everyone has a chance to change the world? When you _yourself_ have stated that you want that chance?" Tom's words made me freeze, my jaw clenched. _

_"That was before my own grandfather tried to bring change, and was killed for it. I'm sorry, Mr. DuBois. I can't help you."_

_I made to move past him again, and this time he didn't get in my way. However, before I'd taken another step, I heard him speak._

_"Sarah…Sarah didn't want to be in the resistance either." I turned around to glance at him; his head was bowed and he was leaning against the archway for support. "She didn't want me involved. She thought that I was putting them all in danger. Her and Jazmine." I was startled when his voice broke, and his hands went to cover his face. "She…she was right."_

_"But…" My mouth felt dry as sandpaper. "Sarah was in a car accident."_

_Tom shook his head and turned around to look at me; I saw the pain, the internal torture that streamed from his eyes. "Sarah was murdered," He whispered. "Sarah was murdered, and it's my fault."_

_I stared at him, at a loss for words. I never knew that Tom had been in the resistance. Sure, I'd known that he did a lot to help those that were against our new government, but I had no clue he'd been so involved. _

_"I'm not going to lie, Huey." He looked up suddenly, a vein in his throat throbbing. "Being in the resistance is tough. There's chances that you have to take, risks that need to be made, words that need to be spoken…and it can cost you your life. But you're strong. I know you could handle it."_

_I opened my mouth, but he held up a hand._

_"You do nothing, and you might as well wait for them to come and kill you, because they will come," He spat bluntly. "You're not religious, and there are a lot of people that know that. But try and do something about all this…you may still die."_

_"So what's the use?" I asked quietly. Tom shrugged._

_"I don't know…what _is _the use?"_

_We stood there in the midst of our silence, staring at one another. I silently weighed my options, Tom's tear filled eyes staring unblinkingly at me. I met his stare with a determined look of my own._

_"One of the main headquarters is in Chicago," I said aloud. He nodded, a tear falling down his cheek. "I'd be close to the heart of it."_

_"You would," He agreed. I eyed him._

_"What about Jazmine?" I asked; at the sound of her name, he flinched. "Is she a part of the resistance?"_

_"No." Tom shut his eyes, shaking his head slowly. "She's too young."_

_I tilted my head to the side in confusion. "Mr. DuBois, I'm younger than her. How the hell is she too young, but I'm not?"_

_"You're technically too young too, Huey," He explained, glancing around to make sure no one was in earshot. "The age where you can officially join isn't until seventeen. But sometimes, there are exceptions."_

_I raised an eyebrow. "Such as…"_

_"Such as when a leader makes a referral."_

_I blinked at him as if a light bulb had just flashed on. "Wait, you're a leader?" I gasped._

_"Quiet down!" Tom demanded, glancing around again. His voice dropped. "Yes, I am. Or, I was. I resigned."_

_"How come?"_

_Tom gave me a look. "Because it was the reason Sarah's dead now."_

_I winced. "Oh." I swallowed. "That's why you haven't told Jazmine-"_

_"Why I don't plan on telling her. Not now, not ever." Tom folded his arms across his chest. "I refuse to let her die like her mother. I'm not going to put her in that position anymore." His eyes softened. "This is why...Huey, if you do this, I don't want you talking to Jazmine anymore."_

_I felt as if a bucket of ice cold water had been dumped on me. I blinked before shaking my head slowly, making sure that I'd heard him right. _

_"We-" I swallowed. "We can't be friends?"_

_Tom appeared apologetic. "No."_

_"But-"_

_"Huey, I'm not risking her life." His voice shook. "She's all I have now."_

_I nodded, numb. Somehow, as smart as I was, the words still weren't clicking, still not making sense in that order. Jazmine and I…not being friends._

_"I'm afraid that she may still be in danger," Tom was still saying, although I was having trouble focusing on the words. "I may no longer be in the resistance, but I'm afraid there's only a matter of time before…" His words trailed off and he waved a hand towards me. "There's no need to have you worrying about that."_

_"Are you scared?" I asked, somehow calm, considering the situation. Tom eyed me._

_"Scared?"_

_"Scared-" A lump rose in my throat, but I swallowed it back down. "Scared that they're going to kill you?"_

_Tom thought about it before shaking his head. "I'm more afraid for Jazmine than myself."_

_I nodded._

_"Huey, you have to promise me something." When I didn't reply, he took it upon himself to go on. "When they do come for me, I want you to come back for my daughter. Whether it be two years from now, whether it be twenty. I don't want her here alone." His shoulders shook with suppressed sobs. "I want you to find her, and when you do…protect her with your life. I mean that."_

_I closed my eyes, my head bowed. I couldn't even bear to look at him. How could he ask me to break off our friendship, yet he wanted me to keep an eye on her? I wasn't even going to be in Woodcrest, and I wasn't planning on coming back. How was I supposed to even manage that?_

_"Please. Promise me."_

_I thought of all our laughs, our arguments, her tears. How just one of her smiles could manage to brighten the stormiest of days, how she hated mashed potatoes because the texture was too slimy._

_"Huey."_

_Our fighting sessions under our favorite tree on the hill. The first time she'd successfully punched Howard Tate, the insult king, in the face after he took one joke too far. Our stupid matching Halloween costumes I'd had to wear, thanks to a lost bet on my part._

_"Huey?"_

_Our evenings spent in my room, listening to music that I loved and that she'd never even heard of. Our video game tournaments, our cooking contests, and, a memory I'd purposely avoided for the sake of our friendship…the night exactly before her mother's death, where she'd kissed me on her front porch, her hair soft and her eyes twinkling like the fireflies that danced around us. A night I'd never mentioned because I figured that with her mom's death, she didn't have time for romance._

_I guess neither one of us did._

_"Huey!" Tom's sudden hiss brought me back to reality, and I started._

_"I…" I licked my lips before closing my eyes one final time, sighing. "Fine. I promise."_

_And with that we shook, our pact signaling the beginning of my new era…and the ending of another._

_

* * *

_

_October 20, 2022  
Duey_

They were ready.

All it had taken was one call, really. Within minutes, I'd been transferred to the best of the best. The top guns. It wasn't long before I'd led them to an identical screen that our computer had, all of our crimes and secrets lying naked in front of their eyes. I could practically feel the amazement seeping through the phone that was pressed so tightly to my ear.

"Son, this is…how did anyone even manage to get so far into the databases?" The man demanded in my ear, his tone hot and accusing. I smiled a smug smile that I could only see, my fingers twiddling in my lap.

"He's a genius, sir. Hiro Otomo." I scratched my nose, sniffing as there was a slight pause.

"Hiro Otomo is dead, son."

"I beg to differ." I shuffled the papers I had in front of me, my eyes scanning the lists and charts. "And he's not the only one who's alive. I've got on record a Huey Freeman, Riley Freeman, Michael Caesar, Cindy McPhearson, Maya Johansen, and Jazmine DuBois, all who are of Woodcrest, Illinois, minus Maya Johansen, who is of Chicago." I took a deep breath. "They aren't dead. They're alive. And they're plotting against the government."

"What…the _fuck_…are you DOING?"

I spun around at the sound of the yelling, the phone clattering from my hand. Hiro stood in the doorway, clutching a glass of water, his eyes murderous and focused on me. I squared my shoulders and rose to my feet, my hand twitching.

"You..you…" Hiro's face was red from anger. "What have you done?"

I lifted my head, grinning. I felt something silently snap inside of me, a catalyst of my growing anger.

At least they were finally noticing me.

"Something that I should've done a long time ago," I said aloud, lifting my hand. The gun pointed straight at Hiro's face, which had gone from outraged to frightened. The glass that was in his hand suddenly fell to the floor, crashing into tiny pieces that went scattering like rodents. My smile grew wider at the sight of his fear.

Then, I pulled the trigger.

* * *

_Caesar_

It was time.

The crowds had all began to collapse within itself as people filled out of the shops, the homes, and the carts that lined the streets. Banners, signs, and flags were everywhere, people climbing on top of each other's shoulders, benches, and statues just to see the stage that was in the center of the park. There was a parade. It was madness.

Yet, it was a madness that sent everything in me on a wild, happy frenzy. Within my veins I could feel the spread of some hot adrenaline, the triumph of a battle that I knew we'd soon win. I glanced over at Cairo and Jazmine's identically awed faces, the hope in their eyes that was as big as that in me. I didn't even care that some man was shouting in my ear, or that the snow was coming in thick torrents, practically blinding me. Instead, I gripped Jazmine's elbow with one hand, laughing and pointing with the camera in the other.

"This…is amazing!" Jazmine screamed, jumping up and down as a speaker with long dreads that came to his waist stepped onstage, a pair of frames balanced on his nose. He stepped up to the podium, shuffling his papers and smiling into the crowd. As the cheering and noise died down, he took the microphone in his hand.

"Thank you all, so much," He said, his voice echoing over the filled clearing like wildfire. "You all are already well aware of why we're here. And if not-" He shot the crowd a menacing look. "-You'd betta recognize."

The majority of the crowd laughed. I swung my camera around, filming people's reactions, before turning back to the stage as he began speaking again.

"Our nation was founded for an abundance of reasons. One of those reasons was to escape religious persecution." He paused, waiting for his words to sink in before going on. "When our founding fathers established the Declaration of Independence, it was so that everyone would be seen as created equal. Maybe not the blacks, women, or gays. But we're getting there."

Again, there was more laughter.

"However, with the centuries that have passed, the nation has embraced a number of things. Only religious tolerance, one of the founding principles that the first permanent settlement was created under, has fallen by the wayside. And we have no one to blame but ourselves. Religion has taken over communities, politics, countries. It has left families and countries behind in hatred. Christianity, Islamic, and Jewish teachings all teach the same morals; love one another, treat others the way they want to be treated, be there for one another. _Accept _one another for everything they are and everything they aren't. Yet, we can't even apply what religion teaches to everyday life!"

The applause, the screaming, was thunderous. "How can you expect us to conform to manmade religion when it tears us apart?" He yelled over the applause into the microphone. "How can you stand there and insist that people _need_ religion to have morals, to have standards, when you dare to persecute those who think otherwise? How can anyone even justify killing those who are non-believers, yet believing abortion is a form of murder? Can you see the injustice? _Can you see it?"_

"Hell yeah I see that shit!" Cairo yelled from beside Jazmine, swinging his fist in the air. Jazmine cupped her hands over her mouth, screaming at the top of her lungs.

"WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

I let the camera drop a bit as I covered my ears with my hands. "Damn, Jazz!" I yelled. She shrugged, flipping her hair behind her shoulders in a way that reminded me of Maya.

"Get over it, Ceez." She stuck her tongue out at me as the speaker went on.

"America needs to come together, like it did to gain independence!" He yelled. "Americans need to join forces to reunite with their sisters, their brothers…because under one nation, we are all created equal!"

"YES!" A stream of people chorused, pumping signs in the air and shrieking like crazy. The man gave a bow as he backed away from the stage, jogging out of sight. All around us people were hugging, throwing themselves into each other's arms, shaking hands. I held the camera lens up to my eye, so engrossed in catching it all that I barely felt my phone vibrating in my pocket.

"Here, hold this." I passed the camera over to Jazmine, who took her hands out of her trademark leather jacket to hold it, pressing the lens to her own green iris. "Wait…why are your eyes not blue?"

"Oh, those contacts annoy the shit out of me, and Huey was so busy nagging us about forgetting things that he didn't notice." Jazmine gave me a sly grin. I rolled my eyes as I rummaged through my coat pockets. "There's a lot of green eyed people in the world. I'm sure no one will notice another one."

"Whatever." Finally locating my phone I flipped it open, holding it up to my ear. "Hello?"

Whatever words were about to be spoken, I didn't hear. Hell, I forgot to even listen to the voice in my ear, for no sooner had I spoken, there was screaming; they were high pitched, urgent shrieks that came from over our shoulders, on our far left.

And then, the shooting began.

* * *

_Maya_

At first I thought I'd broken the toilet.

The moment I sat down, magazine in one hand and the spray in the other, I heard a loud crack that pierced the air. Thinking I'd somehow broken the toilet seat (which was odd, considering I wasn't _that_ heavy), I leapt up, dropping my things and yanking my jeans back up. Only with closer inspection did I notice that the wooden toilet seat was crack free, the molding under it flawless.

I arched an eyebrow, glancing around the small bathroom. Was that a gunshot? Better yet…had whatever that was actually came from _inside_ the house?

As if an answer to my questions someone suddenly slammed against the locked bathroom door, making me yelp and jump back, backing into the sink. "Open the damn door!" I heard Duey snarl at me. I swallowed, my hands gripping the cool marble.

"What's wrong?" I asked, my voice shaking. "What was that noise?"

A loud blast, followed by a small hole flying through the wooden door and whizzing through the window by the shower, responded. I screamed, backing up and tripping over my own feet, landing in the bathtub. Bullets began spraying through the door, hitting the entire perimeter of the bathroom. I curled into a ball in the tub, covering my head and neck with my arms, trying not to scream again. After a few seconds, it stopped, and I slowly lifted my head to check the door…

…only to see Duey pointing a gun straight into my face.

I screamed again, closing my eyes, but instead of feeling a bullet pierce my skin I instead heard a loud grunt, followed by a crash. I opened my eyes to see Hiro standing over Duey, who was lying on the floor. Apparently, he'd been tackled. "Maya, run!" Hiro demanded, reaching out for me; within seconds I was on my feet, scrambling for the bathroom door. I screamed as I felt a hand reach out and grab my ankle so that I fell to the floor, but with a swift kick to Duey's jaw with my free foot I was up again and practically falling down the stairs in my haste to get the hell out of there.

"What the _hell_ is going on?" I roared as we reached the third floor. Hiro, who was right on my tail, shook his head, his glasses askew.

"Duey's a fucking narc!" He panted as we reached the front door; I was already unlocking all the chains, bolts, and other means we had of keeping those who would harm us out (obviously it hadn't worked since one of our own was trying to kill us). "Maya, he called someone. Authority. I don't know, but someone's coming for us-"

Before the rest of his sentence came someone suddenly started banging on the front door. I leapt back, my eyes wide, and stared at Hiro, who stuck his finger up to his lips to keep me quiet. I swallowed, trembling. When he held out his hand I took it, and we slowly began edging back towards the opposite direction.

"If we can just get out of the side entrance-" He started, but froze when we spotted Duey at the foot of the stairs, his forehead bleeding, but his hand still holding the gun. The gun which was still aimed at us.

"You two aren't going anywhere," He whispered, creeping towards us; in response, we both stepped back, leaning on each other for support. The knocking persisted. "You're trapped."

"Where's Cindy and Riley?" I asked weakly. Duey laughed.

"Shopping. That dumbass McPhearson acts like she can't live without retail." He held the barrel up to his chin, stroking it thoughtfully. "I figured they'd be back by now, but I guess they have a little more time. You two, however-" He gave us a sympathetic smile. "Your time is up."

"Why would you _do _this?" I swallowed again. I knew I was stalling for time, but this couldn't be it. Duey had to be making some kind of mistake. He wouldn't betray us.

…Would he?

"Because, _Maya_," He spat venomously. "While you were busy being the pretty, bubbly woman of the group, I was stuck in the shadows. No one cared about my opinion. No one asked me to be a part of everything. And you know _what_?" He shrugged. "I'm a Christian. It doesn't matter what happens to the rest of you morons, because either way, I still win." He tipped his head back, laughing so hard that it overpowered the harsh knocking that was just feet behind us. "Face it, it's over."

I gave Hiro a pleading look, but I knew it was too late for him to do anything. Duey glanced over our heads, a mock somber look on his face. "Oh. Seems like they're about to bust the door down," He said in a taunting voice. I clenched my fists. Duey raised the gun once again, pointing it at my face.

And once again, with a sudden clanging, followed by a heavy grunt, Duey tumbled to the ground. Only this time the gun flopped from his unconscious hand.

"Cindy!" I gasped, running forward as Cindy dropped the lamp she'd grabbed, so that it crashed to the floor, cracking. I threw myself into her arms, practically sobbing. "Cindy, I'm so glad you're here! How much did you hear-"

"Enough to make me sick," She snapped, her face disgusted. She gave Duey's unconscious form a swift kick to the stomach, watching him flop. "Which I will promptly be after we get the fuck out of here." By now someone was banging into the front door, as if trying to break it down. Luckily it was thick, so we still had time. "Riley, get your ass in here and get Duey's gun!"

Riley bound into the room, his boots heavy on the wooden floor. "Dis bitch right hurr!" He snapped, lifting a foot over Duey's head. Before he could bring it crashing down Cindy tugged him back.

"Riley, stop being a moron and grab your phone! Hiro, is there any way to erase the hard drive before those psychos get in here?"

"Maybe." Hiro, dangerously pale, shook his head. "But it's on the third floor! I wouldn't have time to get back down here before they-"

"What about the fire escape?" I suggested, trying to ignore the insistent pounding that was now ringing through my head. While I was grateful that the men hadn't just busted out a window by now, I wondered why they were wasting so much effort on the front door. Hiro cast me a frantic glance.

"What if people are on it?" He asked. I smacked my palm over my face.

"Hiro, if they find those files, it's over," I ground out from between clenched teeth. "I don't want to have to start from scratch. Do you?"

"Well, we're going to need a decision quick, or we won't have the luxury of making one!" Cindy interjected impatiently. "Someone needs to erase that hard drive!"

"What if we give it a virus so that it corrupts the files?" I tried desperately. "They can't get into damaged files, right?"

"It's worth a try." However, Hiro still looked panicked. I cast a glance over my shoulder towards the shivering door before spinning back to Hiro.

"Give me the passwords. I…I'll do it."

"Maya-" Cindy started, but I cut her off.

"No. I'll find a way out." I checked my pocket, making sure my cell phone was still on me, giving Hiro a pleading look. "Hiro, please…"

Hiro seemed to make up his mind quick. "Maya, if you die…" He shook his head. "I'll blame myself the rest of my life."

"Then I'll make sure I don't." I shoved past them, heading for the stairs. "Call me with a rendezvous point!" I hissed, giving them all one final glance. Hiro, with his uncertain expression, Cindy and Riley looking as torn as he did. What if I never saw them again?

Then, I noticed Duey's unconscious body still lying on the floor, and I felt anger curl up on my insides like a fungus. Duey had all this done to bring us down. No way was I letting us go down without a fight.

"Go, now!" I ordered. The three of them made for the side door and I turned away, rushing up the stairs.

Hopefully, they were all in the clear. But for now, my own fate was uncertain.

* * *

_Jazmine_

"Go go go!" I heard Caesar command, his hand on my back, shoving me forward. I ground my heels into the ground stubbornly, staring over me towards the stage, which was now vacant as everyone struggled to get away from the riot that was beginning to break out.

"Not without Huey!" I snapped, stubbornly shoving past him. I felt Cairo grab for me.

"Jazmine, Huey's a big boy!" He shot at me; we were being tossed and pushed against like a rough ocean current during a storm as everyone shoved past us. "He's fine!"

"I don't care!" I spat, already turning away from them, pushing against the horde. Gunshots were still ringing out, and the screaming around me felt like a tidal wave, but I couldn't think about that. I could only think of finding Huey, making sure he was safe. "I'm _not _leaving him!"

At that moment, as if drawn to my side by a magnet, Huey was there, gripping my elbow and glaring down at me furiously. "What do you think you're doing?" He yelled at me, barely over the noise of the chaos around us. I grabbed his shoulders and threw myself into his arms, hugging him so tightly it startled us both.

"Huey!" I gasped, letting my hands slide down to his elbows. "Thank God!"

"Don't thank him, he's screwed us over enough," He replied sarcastically. His glare intensified. "Don't you _ever_ try to go off on your own again when you're in a crowd."

"Less talking, more leaving!" Caesar suggested, pushing us both in front of him. Cairo flanked to my left while Huey remained at my right, his arm around my shoulders. At first we simply flowed with the current of the crowd, which got us far as the main highway.

Then, it got a bit more complicated. I gasped; the crowd had significantly thinned out as people began running in all four directions. Some people were lying on the ground, moaning. Others were eerily still, facedown. Yet some were bent down at the sides of the injured, sobbing or screaming. I felt my eyes well up with tears.

"Not _now_, Jazmine!" Huey snapped, grabbing my hand and steering me towards the parking garage, which seemed to be miles away.

"Wait." Cairo shook his head, holding out a hand to stop us. "Huey, we're not going to get through," He said knowingly, glancing around uneasily. "Not only are cars going to be blocking up the place, but…well, look."

The four of us stared towards the edge of the horizon, further down the street, where flashing blue and red lights were coming closer…along with the sound of gunshots. As if from some domino effect more people came running towards us, their faces all wearing identical looks of terror.

"Fuck!" Caesar groaned. "What do we do?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Huey asked, appearing unfazed, although I felt his hand tighten around mine. "We split."

"_Split_?" I repeated, an edge to my voice.

"We've gotta circle around and somehow meet back at the house," Huey went on, as if I hadn't spoken. Already the four of us were backing up, away from the approaching lights, the noise, the danger. "I'll call Riley when we get the chance. Caesar, call Cindy."

"Fine."

"Cairo, go with Caesar," Huey commanded. Cairo nodded. "_Be careful_."

"We'll do our best." He gave us a severe look. "Likewise."

I watched the two of them race around the corner before I felt myself being tugged in the opposite direction by Huey, whose face was surprisingly calm…a calmness that I was sure was fake. "What's going on?" I asked softly as we ran down the street. My stomach churned as we passed body after body. Whether they were alive or dead I didn't know. I did know that no one deserved this.

Huey suddenly slowed down, which caused me to ease to a stop beside him. He glanced around for a moment before staring down at me, his expression urgent.

"How opposed are you-" He asked, his words rushed. "-to grand theft auto?"

I spotted his gaze and followed its direction. And groaned.

He was staring at a motorcycle.

* * *

_I don't know if any of you have noticed...but I think I like writing Huey's POV the best. I don't know why, I usually have a harder time with male characters (harder to relate to them for me since women and men generally have different mindsets) but...he's just AWESOME._

_Right. Thanks for the read! Now REVIEW! It's the least you could do, you-_

_:yawn: _

_Didn't have to buy me-_

_:lays down:_

_A freaking-_

_:closes eyes:_

_...Gift._

_:SNORE:_

_-Kelsey_


	11. Chapter Ten

_Nom nom tired, nom nom gotta pee...let's make this quick! BIG thank you to SNOOGL3BAB1, MizzC, Darelle The Author, Sweetiepye2, TRIGGER MIKE THE GREAT, sagi babe, and boondocksgroupie1 for the reviews! Now, school has started back for me, and I'm going to be focused primarily on that...so updates (as you can already tell) will not be very frequent. Am I out of ideas? Hell no! Am I out of time?_

_Er...basically._

_So, just sit back, bear with me, and if you get that tired of waiting for my updates...it's called an imagination. Use it. Hahhahha_

_Disclaimer: Still don't own it._

_Warning: Um...this isn't a very happy chapter. So if you're on Prozac, you might want to take it now...  
(Joking. But seriously. Not. Happy.)_

* * *

Old Soul

Chapter Ten

_Maya_

When I was twelve years old, my mother bought me my first cell phone.

While everyone else my age had been blessed with the sleek, glossy cutting edge of technology, sending photos, messages, and calls to everyone to stay connected, I was out of the loop. I'd never fit in with the people my age anyways, so my mother figured getting me my own phone would help her be able to find me as well as help me keep in touch with friends easier. Or at least get some friends. Her plan, sadly, was foiled the moment I held the phone, equipped with a full keyboard as well as its own music player, and wrinkled my nose in disproval, as well as complete confusion.

"How the hell do you _call_ people?" I'd asked.

That was just one of many examples of how technologically impaired I am, which was why it probably hadn't made much sense to volunteer myself to destroy the hard drive. If the choice had been between me, a squirrel, and a rock, the latter two would be better options than me. However, it was done. And now I was cornered in a third story bedroom with a feeble lock and house full of dangerous people, who were already rampaging through the first floor as well as the basement. I could hear them searching through our things, looking for evidence that suggested we were anyone but who we said we were.

Shit.

"Arggh!" I let out a quiet groan of frustration, running my hands through my tangled hair and yanking it from the roots in frustration. "What am I supposed to _do?_"

Silence.

Well, wow. Who had I really been waiting for to respond, the fucking Calvary?

I couldn't use something heavy to break the computer to tiny pieces…even if I did, the hard drive could still be repaired somehow. Right…?!

I could hear people shouting to each other in the kitchen. I didn't have enough time to be standing around wearing stupid facial expressions!

"Okay. Think Maya, think," I whispered aloud, pacing, my converse taping the floor as if they had an anticipation of their own. "Maya Jambalaya." I began spouting off nicknames that I'd heard directed towards me, trying to brainstorm until I had some kind of idea to get me out of this mess, and failing at it. "Maya Maya bo baya, banana fanna fo fya-"

I could hear heavy footsteps racing up to the second floor. Damn it.

"Fee fi mo Maya." I smacked myself in the forehead. "What am I _doing_? You can do this, Maya!" I thought of a childhood friend of mine, Ross Stevens, who used to always mispronounce my name just to annoy me. "Myer, Myer." I shook my head. "Myer, Myer, pants on…"

I froze, something in my brain seeming to fall in place, the clicking sensation of an idea shocking me like an electric fence.

"Fire."

Fire. I could _burn_ the hard drive! We weren't going to be able to come back, not with people so suspicious. If the fire spread to other parts of the house, it didn't matter. We wouldn't be here.

Oh man, I just hoped it didn't spread to the neighbors…

I ran for the set of dresser drawers, muttering a quick prayer for probably the first time in ten years, hoping that there was a lighter, a box of matches, two sticks, _anything_ in these drawers that caught fire. I groaned when, typically, there was nothing of the sort.

Thanks a lot, God.

I silently unlocked the door, peeking out to make sure no one had yet gotten on the third floor. When I was met by a heavy, empty air, which was occasionally broken by the shouts of "Clear!" downstairs, I rushed into the third floor bathroom, which was luckily right beside Hiro's room. I threw open drawer after drawer, finally finding a box of matches in the second one from the bottom. "Yes!" I breathed, sighing in relief.

The relief didn't last for long.

"Aye, David," I heard from right below me, the voice making my breath catch in my throat. "Did you hear that?"

I quickly shut off the bathroom light and stepped into the hallway, right on time to see a tall, broad shouldered man staring right at me from halfway up the stairs. He was wearing a suit, his brown hair messy and his brown eyes glaring at me. My eyes widened as I spotted the gold cross above a shining gold badge on his breast pocket.

"I found one!" He suddenly shouted, advancing up the stairs. "Bruce, get up here! You-" He pointed at me. "Stay there."

Somehow my feet found themselves, and before I could comprehend what I was doing I was racing forward, catching him off guard. I gave him a rough shove with all the strength I could muster before running back to Hiro's room. I spun around in time to see him losing his footing, falling back down the stairs. I heard several people gasp.

"What the-"

"What happened?"

"_Get that woman_!" The man shouted. I saw him crawling to his feet and withdrawing a gun from a holster on his side but I was already slamming the bedroom door shut, locking it as well as shoving a chair underneath the handle. I ran to the computer, examining the disk drive.

If I simply shoved a lit match in there, would it even catch fire? Or would it go out?

My eyes fell on a bottle of some cheap wine that was half hidden under Hiro's pillow, about a quarter full. I stared back at the matches, then back towards the wine. There was sudden pounding on the door.

I grabbed the bottle of wine as well as the pillowcase off of his pillow, twisting the end so that I could drop it in the bottle. I shook it around so that the wine seeped into the material of the white pillowcase, ripping the cloth out after a few seconds. I dropped the bottle, shoving the pillowcase into the disk drive of the CPU (or at least that's what I _thought_ it was) and taking the box of matches in both hands, trying my best to ignore the door, which was almost open.

I tried to strike the match against the side of the box, but my hand was shaking so hard that I almost dropped it instead of lighting it. I took a deep breath, steadying my hand as well as narrowing my eyes, and tried again.

The orange flame rose up in a cloud of black smoke, and I wasted no time in holding it up to the hanging corner of the pillowcase, backing away a little as the once tiny flame began spreading like wildfire. I threw the still lit match onto Hiro's bed for good measure, running to the windows and lifting one open, groaning as the old frame squeaked and resisted stubbornly. "Come…_on_!" I gasped. It cracked, but didn't budge.

I let out another groan, this time out of frustration, and backed away, taking a deep breath. I ran towards the window and spun around, kicking out the glass. It shattered all over the place but I ignored it, hoisting myself over the window so that I was sticking half in, half out. The cold air mixed with snow whipped against me on one side, while I could feel the pulsing heat from the spreading fire on my other. I glanced down towards the ground, which seemed to be a lot worse of a fall than anticipated.

_Gulp._

I gazed back into the room just in time to see the door bust open, three men pouring inside. They noticed me just as I noticed them.

"Freeze!" One of them yelled, pointing his gun. I did no such thing; instead I dropped out the window, letting out a tiny scream as I hung to the frame by my fingers, my feet dangling uselessly in the air. I felt them slipping and I glanced down below me, seeing the walkway for the fire escape. It had to be at least a ten foot drop, since the entrance onto it happened to be on the opposite side of the house, outside of Caesar's window.

This was probably a bad time to remember that I was scared of heights.

I heard shooting and saw bullets whizzing out the window, just as I heard a loud crack, followed by an explosion. I screamed as a wall of flames shot out over my head, felt my fingers burning…I quickly let go, which emitted another shriek out of me as I plummeted below, my hands still grasping the empty air, still burning…

The fall was over just when it began. One moment I was tumbling through space and the next my back was hitting the cold, black walkway of the escape with a bone shaking _thud_. I felt my head hit the railing and I hissed in pain. "Ow," I whimpered, rolling slowly onto my side. I hadn't prepared for the fall well at all. I tried to sit up but a piercing pain shot through my back and I was forced to lie back down, staring up at the sky, silently hoping with every fiber of my being that no one would find me.

"You've gotta get up," I whispered to myself, trying not to cry out in pain. "There are people looking for you. Well…if they aren't all burning to a crisp." I glanced over my head to see flames licking the window pane which I had been on less than a minute before. "You're going to probably join them if you don't move."

I rolled onto my stomach, slowly moving my arms upwards to examine my hands. They were splotchy and red, with a few places sporting some nifty angry red burn marks. My stomach churned, but before I could move again there was another blast, this time shaking the ground underneath me. I made myself sit upright before I could chicken out, not able to stop the cry of pain that escaped my slightly parted lips.

Geez, it hurt so much…

I limped down the stairs of the fire escape, holding my side and breathing a little easier when my feet touched the sidewalk…but not by much. It hurt too much to fully breathe.

I set off down the sidewalk, trying to keep the limping to a minimum and appear less suspicious than I really was, ignoring the rush of people who were sprinting past me to look at the house. I ducked around the side alleyway, my eyes doing a quick sweep of the perimeter to see the white van I was hoping to spot, sitting in the corner. I hastened my limp, reaching the driver door in record time.

Was there a spare key still taped underneath the muffler? Did I even know what a muffler _was_? Nope, but I didn't need to in order to spot the key, held in place by a scrap of tape. I ripped it off, unlocking the door and hastily sliding inside. I wasted no time in cutting on the engine, throwing the van into reverse, and backing up, spinning around until I was speeding on the main drag, my body aching and begging for rest. As soon as I was sure I was out of the red I reached into my pocket, dragging out my cell phone. I didn't need more than a second to notice that the battery icon in the right hand corner was red and flashing, a sign that it was low. Damn.

I flipped it open, dialing a number I knew all too well and ignoring a loud thump I heard around the trunk area. I didn't have much time.

I wasn't sure if any of us did.

* * *

_Jazmine_

I still don't know how he did it. But one moment, I was standing around, keeping an eye out for any authority figure or even worse, the owner of the very motorcycle we were "borrowing", as Huey found fit to put it, and the next moment he was pulling me roughly onto the seat behind him, my arms instinctively wrapping around his waist, my feet finding the rests, my head burrowing into his shoulder. The engine came to life with a furious roar, much more deafening than either of the one we'd taken up here, and with a blink of an eye we were speeding through the streets, Huey silent and my eyes watering at the corners from the cold.

"What's going on?" I managed over the roaring, my breath practically being tugged out of my throat as the cold hit it. "Why is this happening?"

Huey's answer was true, yet unhelpful. "Because people suck."

"Where are we even going?" I tried, my ponytail whipping into my face. Unfortunately, two helmets were something that hadn't been included in our freebie plan. "Isn't the house in the opposite direction?"

"We can't chance anyone seeing us leave from here and follow us home," Huey said honestly, to my surprise. I wasn't used to him giving straight answers so easily. "We're going to meet Caesar and Cairo somewhere, as soon as they find a location and tell me."

"Okay," Was all I could manage to whisper. I ducked my head back down, my arms numb. I felt Huey tense.

"Are you alright?"

I swallowed painfully before nodding. "I'm fine."

I tried to ignore the insanity around us, but tuning people out was something I'd never been good at. I watched confused bystanders wander around, their eyes as lost as their limb's movements. I watched as people ran away from others, ducking behind trucks and buildings, cowering behind trashcans as if playing some sick game of hide and seek. I wished that I could somehow cover my eyes. Maybe if I didn't look at any of it, it wouldn't be real.

The snow that had been falling so gracefully before had now turned into ice; it beat down on us like tiny rocks. I jumped as I felt a sudden vibrating that had nothing to do with the motorcycle, and Huey shook in front of me, most likely laughing. "It's a phone, not a time bomb," He commented. "It's probably Caesar with a meeting spot."

"Huey, slow down." We'd reached some suburban part of Chicago; the houses weren't nearly as close together, the roads not as wide. "I think we're safe."

"I think," I heard Huey mutter as we approached a sharp turn, "That you should leave the driving to me."

Just when I went to reply, there was a severe skidding sound, followed by the squelch of tires. I felt Huey tense, the muscles in his arms tightening as he tried to steer the motorcycle away from the quickly approaching shoulder of the road-

-And then there was a sickening crash as we hit a snow embankment. I was suddenly flying off the side of the motorcycle, landing hard in the snow covered ground and rolling roughly down a hill, roots and brush catching every inch of my exposed skin. When I came to a stop face down in the frozen ground, I slowly lifted my head, my shoulders straining and I pushed my way up to my elbows.

Then, I screamed.

Huey was laying face down in the snow, still on the slope near the road which I'd already rolled down. The motorcycle's wheels were slowly rotating, the bike on its side. Even from here I could see how Huey's left leg was bent in an impossible angle…and that he wasn't moving.

At all.

I jumped up to my feet, ignoring the searing pain in my arm, frantically climbing over myself to reach him. "Huey!" I shrieked, ignoring that we were supposed to be hiding, that we were supposed to be unseen, unheard. My mind was whirling, the gears working overtime. Did I remember CPR? Was there some way to make sure he didn't have brain damage? Was he even _alive_?

"Huey!" I sank down to my knees in front of him, tentatively reaching towards him, my fingers hesitating just inches away from him. If I touched him, would I hurt him worse? Could I fix this? I rocked back on my knees, just being aware of the stinging pain in my own ankle, the steady pounding that was beating in my head with the pulsating of my heart, like a drum. "Huey, no…"

He was so still. I thought of all the people who I'd seen, as quiet and stiff as death itself. I couldn't imagine Huey being one of those people. I didn't _want _to.

"Wake up!" I pleaded, my voice giving in to a sob. I didn't even care about the risk of further injury; I threw myself onto his back, wrapping my arms around his neck and crying into his ear. "Huey, you can't _leave_ me! You can't leave me all alone here!" I choked, sitting upright and grabbing fistfuls of his collar, shaking him. "Get your ass up!"

To my surprise he suddenly lifted his head, giving me a look. "You know," He said in a perfectly calm voice. "Maybe if you yell just a bit louder, Tanzania might be able to hear you, too."

"Huey!" I threw my arms around him all over again, ignoring his groaning. "You're alive!"

"_Barely_," He snapped, straining against me. "Can you get off for a sec? You're killing me worse than the crash." When I obediently backed away, leaving him space for air, he looked me over. "Are you okay?"

I nodded, examining him as well. "I think your leg is broken."

"I think you're right." I noticed how pale his face was, bloodless. "I'm trying not to think about it too much. The less I do, the less pain I feel."

"Do you…want to try and move it?" When my timid suggestion was met by a stony silence, I glared at him. "Well, I'm just trying to help!"

"You'd be more help if you didn't."

"Don't get mad at me," I snapped under my breath before I could stop myself, turning away. "I'm not the one who crashed the damn motorcycle."

When my comment was met by silence, I glanced up to see Huey staring in the opposite direction, his head bent. I sat up straighter.

"I almost killed you." His tone was filled with anger, not towards me, but towards himself."I should've been more careful."

"You almost killed yourself, too." I closed the space in between us again, putting a hand on his shoulder, guilt curling along my insides like an infection. "Accidents happen. Don't beat yourself up." I winced, glancing at his leg. "No pun intended."

"You would've been better off if I left you at the protest to fend for yourself." Huey leaned back against the grass, staring into the sky. I could see in the way his fists were clenched how much pain he was in. "I can't even protect you now. I'm useless with my leg like this."

"You're never useless," I told him, glaring at him. "Since when does Huey Freeman throw pity parties?"

"Since Huey Freeman started screwing up." He managed a dry laugh. "I almost killed us, Jazmine. How can you take that lightly?"

"Because you almost did, but you didn't." My own voice was flat. "It's done with. So we should move on now."

"And how do you propose we do that?" He snapped, struggling to sit up. His eyes narrowed. "I can't drive a motorcycle with a busted leg. _You _sure as hell can't. Do you even know where we are?"

I glanced around for the first time. "Um…a cornfield, from the looks of it."

"Exactly." His voice was sarcastic. "We're in a damn cornfield. What the hell can we do from a damn cornfield?"

"I don't know, but you could use your damn phone to call damn Caesar and try to come up with a damn plan!" I snapped, standing up and whirling away from him, staring into the snow covered field. "Until we have no hope, I refuse to feel sorry for us, Huey." I crouched down in front of him, my hand out. "Give me the phone."

Huey stared up at me, at a loss for words for practically the first time in his life. His eyes narrowed, but I noticed the corners of his mouth turning upwards. "Still positive no matter the situation, I see," He said, pulling a cell phone from his pocket. He ignored my hand, flipping it open himself and dialing a number. He pressed it up to his ear, still examining me. I stared back, my eyes softening.

"Do we really have a choice?" I asked quietly without expecting a response, jamming my hands in my pockets. There was a pause. Then, his eyes widened.

"Maya?"

I jerked, staring around with wide eyes before realizing that he was speaking into the phone. "No, I wasn't expecting you, I was calling…I guess you called me at the same time." I felt my breath catch in my throat for some unknown reason, watching his face as it turned from confused to concerned. "Wait, stop talking so fast, calm down…"

The next few seconds were so quiet that I thought maybe she'd hung up. Then, Huey flew up.

"Wait, what?" He jerked up, forgetting about his leg, and fell back with a groan. _"Shit._ No, not you. I broke my leg." He shook his head as I crouched down again, resting a hand on his shoulder with concern. "Long story. What do you mean the house got raided?"

My jaw dropped. I could only stare in horror at my injured friend as he listened intently to Maya's words, or at least tried to. Even I could barely understand the rushed, slurred babble that was erupting from the earpiece of Huey's phone. I absentmindedly massaged his hurt knee as I crawled closer to him, my eyes begging for answers.

"I can't understand you. Are you hurt?" Huey's voice was rising, yet still held a gentler tone than he used with most people. "What do you mean you don't know?" He sighed, rubbing his temples. "You have the van? Right. Okay, this is what we're going to do."

I felt a surge of relief now that Huey was back to making commands. He was a natural born leader. For him not to have any sort of faith in a situation…well, it had to be a lost cause.

"Jazmine and I, we're stranded out here…I want to say about ten minutes from the city," Huey said slowly into the phone. "I think we're close to Potter's Mill, but I'm not sure. I'd rather not chance looking for help, there's too many Anti-s out here. I need you to come get us, if you can. Or send someone else after you meet up with everyone else. Have you called them?" He suddenly held the phone away from his face for a moment, staring at it in what seemed to be shock. He placed it back to his ear. "Jazmine?" He looked at me. "She's fine."

While Huey continued to talk to Maya I got up, walking around and scanning our surroundings again. If our situation wasn't so grave, I'd think that our surroundings would be more suited for the front of a Christmas card. The tall stalks reached for the sky, which was filled with gray clouds, minus a small patch of sunset that could be seen over the western horizon. In the distance, about a half a mile away, I could see a tiny farmhouse, its lights beckoning warmly towards me. I turned around again to give Huey a glance, my boots making crunching sounds in the ice. By the time I was back to Huey's side he'd shut the phone and was leaning back again, his eyes squeezed shut and a look of frustration on his face. "What's wrong?"

"Everything." He looked up at me. "Something happened back at the house. Maya said it was an ambush, but that's all I got out of her, she was talking so fast and the phone was breaking up." He covered his face with his hand. "She sounded hurt. Her phone died. The last thing I heard her say was that she was on her way."

I shook my head. "What the hell is happening?"

"I wish I knew." Huey's hand dropped. "I know one thing; we can't just sit here. Caesar and Cairo are heading to a safe house. When they get there, they're going to let us know where it is. When Maya gets here, we can all go."

"So what, we wait?"

"What else do you think we should do?"

I contemplated for a moment before nodding towards the opposite direction, the farmhouse barely visible over the crops. "I think we should go there."

Huey looked to where I was gesturing, his eyes skeptical. "I think we shouldn't."

_"Huey."_ I stomped my foot. "We're going to freeze to death!"

"And if they're Anti-s, we'll be shot to death! What's the difference?"

"The difference," I remarked coldly. "Is that waiting for answers to smack you in the face typically doesn't work. I've been there, done that." Before Huey could react I was bending down, trying my best to lift him.

"What are you doing?"

"We're going to that farmhouse." When Huey didn't budge I groaned. "Come on. Just lean on me."

"Jazmine, you aren't strong enough to support me." Huey shook his head. "Don't even try."

"You sure don't have much faith in me these days." I folded my arms over my chest, glancing away. Huey's eyebrows knotted together in confusion.

"What are you _talking_ about?"

"Well, let's see." I began ticking off examples on each finger. "For one, you didn't think I was strong enough to handle you telling me why you had to leave, or why my parents were killed. For another, you didn't think I was strong or brave enough to join the resistance-"

"That's not true."

"-For another," I went on, ignoring him. "You didn't think I was suited to go to the protest today…now you don't even trust me when I'm trying to _help_ you. Why do you even have me around?" I plopped down by a tree a good ten feet away, turning away from him. "You obviously don't think I'm very useful."

"Could we please talk about this some other time that isn't _now_."

"It's never a good time to talk about feelings with you, Huey!" I snapped. "It's never a good time to talk to you about anything. I don't even know why I try."

And with that I slammed my back into the tree trunk, averting my gaze. It was a bit of a mistake being that I was already sore all over, but I refused to let my pain show, just like Huey was trying not to let his be exposed. After a few uncomfortable moments of silence, I heard Huey speak.

"I guess the only thing we have to do then is wait."

I knew that he was talking about waiting for help. Only something inside me wanted to believe that there was more meaning behind his words.

"Yeah," I whispered, my eyes locked on the house across the way. "I guess it is."

* * *

_Riley_

"Damn, bitch! Can we get a car out dis bitch?"

"What do you want me to do you ass, steal one?"

"Hell yeah!" I pointed across the street to where a homeless man had broken a car window just moments before, crawling in. A few moments later the car was roaring to life and he was speeding away from the curb, cackling. "Everyone else is doing it!"

"You must've just _loved _peer pressure when you were younger," Cindy retorted in that smart tone of her's, rolling her eyes and starting down the curb. "Come on! We don't have time for this! We're supposed to be finding Trey and Aubrey's address so we can tell the others where the safe house-"

"Hell naw." I stood rooted to the spot in the center of the street, my arms folded across my chest. No one told me what to do. "I ain't goin nowhere until we get a vehicle. Shit, deez boots _ain't _made for walking."

"Riley!" Cindy smacked herself in the forehead, storming back towards me. "This isn't a game! This is life or death!"

"Yeah, yeah." I followed Cindy, rolling my eyes as we crept down the dark sidewalk, glancing around and examining our surroundings. I kinda wondered why Cindy was the one leading when I was the one originally from Chicago, but she looked so determined that I didn't even try to bother her ass. At least, not until she suddenly yelped, jumping so high in the air I thought dat bitch was bout to spout wings and fly up outta there.

"Da hell?"

"Oh! My phone!" Cindy fell back down to earth, reaching into her coat pocket and taking out her sidekick, pressing the talk button and jamming it up to my ear. "Riley, talk to him," She demanded, her eyes suddenly too interested in the street addresses of houses and buildings we were passing. I stared at the phone warily.

"Who da fuck is this?"

"Just talk!"

"Aye." I cleared my throat. "Who dis?"

"Riley, come on." Caesar's voice practically blared through the earpiece. "Who do you think?"

"Nigga, I don't cur bout yo number like that!" I watched Cindy's lips move as she read, her head peering into an alleyway. "Where you at?"

"Cairo and I are near Monroe Parkway," He said, his voice rushed. "We're heading to Lena and Katrina's. How's Cindy?"

I rolled my eyes. "I ain't no messenger."

"Riley, give her the phone."

"She don't want it!" I told him. When my response was met by silence I smacked my lips. "Nigga you think I'm lyin? She bout threw this shit at me."

"Riley, tell her I'm sorry." Caesar's voice was suddenly remorseful. "Tell her I'll prove how sorry I am when we get everything sorted out-"

"Must I repeat myself? I ain't. No-"

"Riley, give me the phone," Cindy suddenly said from my side, her hand out and her expression pained. I handed her that shit as if it were on fire, watching her put it up to her ear. "Hello?" She was quiet for a few moments, turning so that her back was to me. "Caesar."

She was so quiet I couldn't even hear her ass forreal, so I leaned against the apartment complex we was in front of, scowling. After a few more seconds passed though, I heard her voice rise. "Caesar, you hurt me! You're not the only one that's been suffering! Do you think this is really the time-" She stopped, her breath shaky. "I'm fine. Riley and I are both fine. We're trying to find Trey and Aubrey." There was another pause. "…They're already with Lena and Katrina? How do you know?" More silence. "Well, calling them _does _make sense…"

After another pause, I heard a sob come from Cindy's throat and I gave her a startled look. "What did you want me to do, pretend everything was supposed to be okay? It obviously _wasn't_! You hated me then, you hate me now…no, I never hated you. I've always loved you. I can't imagine living without you."

"Boo. Y'all gay!" I snapped. Cindy gave me a scowl through her tears, but she was smiling.

"I love you too. I've missed you so much-"

"Can we wrap dis up? I'm getting cold," I told her, glancing into the distance where I could see flashing lights. "Cindy, we gotta move."

She looked up too, her eyes narrowing. "Babe, I gotta go. We'll be there soon…I love you, too," She said into the mouthpiece. "I…yeah. We'll be careful." She flipped the phone shut and I all but dragged her into an alleyway, both of us crouching behind trashcans and watching the slowly passing squad car.

"Okay…what we do now?" I asked, glancing towards Cindy. Already I could see a familiar pink glow in her cheeks that wasn't just from the old, her blue eyes sparking for the first time in what seemed like weeks.

People think I don't notice these things.

The hell I don't.

"There's so much going on right now, so many crimes…I think we can pull it off." Cindy spun towards me, blond hair flying. "Riley, do you have a gun on you?"

"Hell yea!" I pat my side, giving her a look. "The fuck I look like, not havin a gun? I rep the streets! I always have a-"

"Okay, Riles, It was a yes or no question." Cindy rolled her eyes, smirking. "Here's the deal. Caesar and Cairo are about twenty minutes from Rena and Katrina's. Trey and Aubrey were at the protest, so they went there as well. We're going, too."

"Okay…so?"

"So, we're gonna need us a nice, fast car." Cindy grinned at me, nodding over the cans. "And I think I know where we can get one."

I glanced in the direction she was staring, my eyes growing. I looked back to see if she was kidding.

…Dis bitch was for serious.

"Yeah nigga yeah!" I cackled, already forming a plan in my head. "Yeah, dis how we gon handle dem punk ass bitches…"

* * *

_Huey_

It happened so quickly I barely even realized it _was _happening until it had…well…happened.

One moment I was sprawled out on the gentle slope of the cornfield Jazmine and I had been in for at least the last forty five minutes, my eyes closed, trying to take nice even breaths and ignore the fact that I had a bone poking out of my leg (I'd rolled up my pants leg to check while Jazmine was turned away, focused on ignoring me), and in the next moment Jazmine had somehow silently come up, grabbed me by my middle, and hoisted my upright. I had been so shocked that it didn't even register to resist; instead I instinctively leaned into her, standing on my good leg and letting her support my weight. While I could see the strain in her eyes, her stance was strong. I let my arm fall around her shoulders.

"The height difference doesn't make this too easy," I pointed out, too tired to be stubborn. Jazmine attempted to shrug, but gave up.

"I'm five nine," She remarked in a proud voice. "I'm not that much shorter than you."

"Yeah, if you don't think five inches is that much." I shook my head. "What are you doing?"

"I think that crash must've broke your brain, because if you think about it, we've been in plain view for a good half hour," She said, taking a step forward, her arm around my waist. I stepped forward as well with my good leg, pausing when I heard her groan. "It's okay," She said quietly. "I won't let you fall."

I nodded, trying again. I felt her shaking under my weight, but we stayed upright. "We can't just sit by the road," She went on as we slowly headed towards the swaying stalks of the cornfield. "If the wrong person rode by, we'd be screwed."

She did have a point. "Jazmine," I asked as our slow process to the field continued, trying to fill the gap of silence. "How was it? Back in Woodcrest before Caesar came and…you know."

For a minute she was quiet, and I thought she didn't hear me. Then, she opened her mouth.

"It was alright. I mean, all those new laws haven't spread down there, not like it has in the south and on the east coast."

"I mean," I clarified. "With you."

"Oh." Jazmine stared straight ahead, her eyes narrowed. "I got by. It was hard, for a while." She stared up at me, her eyes soft. "But I got by."

I stared down at her, the words bubbling out of my mouth before I could force them back down into the deep part of my subconscious. "I missed you," I told her, my voice fierce. Her eyebrows lifted. "Every day. I thought about you every single day I was away from Woodcrest. I never stopped."

Jazmine's mouth fell open in a perfect O, her green eyes staring into mine, as if searching for some evidence of a lie. Her mouth shut, the opened again…only whatever she was going to say didn't come out, for there was a sudden banging from behind us.

We spun around to see Maya slamming the van's door shut, doing some kind of limp/run towards us, her forehead bleeding and her clothes torn and filled with what looked like soot or dirt. "Maya!" I felt Jazmine drawing away from me but I pulled her closer, partly because she was my only mean of support.

Partly.

"Huey! Jazmine!" Maya seemed to be on the verge of tears as she half fell, half crawled towards us. "Everything is messed up! He tried to kill-" She stopped, catching her breath and inspecting us. "One of you are losing a lot of blood."

Jazmine and I glanced at each other before glancing down. I grit my teeth. No wonder my pants leg had been so much colder than the rest of me.

"That…would be me," I groaned. Maya took a tentative step towards me, her hand outstretched.

"Huey…"

"We've gotta get out of here." Jazmine's voice was sharp as needles. "We've gotta find out what's going on."

"Oh, I can _tell _you what's going on!" Maya suddenly spat, her eyes flashing angrily. Only her anger wasn't directed towards either of us. "It was-"

Before she could finish the back of the van flew open, and Duey jumped out, falling to his knees. Maya shrieked. I felt Jazmine jerk, and I tensed. "Duey!" Jazmine sighed, putting her free hand over her chest. "You're okay."

"I'd be better-" Duey ground out, looking up slowly, his lip bleeding. "If Maya wouldn't have tried to kill me."

Jazmine's head as well as my own flew in Maya's direction. Maya was staring at Duey with a horrorstruck look, her fists clenched. "Excuse me?" She snapped, her nose wrinkled in disgust as she backed away from him. "You tried to kill _me_! You shot at Hiro and I!"

"Yeah, because you called the FBI on our asses!" Duey snapped, rising to his feet, wincing and bracing the back of the van's bumper for support. "You ratted us out! Thank to you, our house is gone!"

"What," I asked, turning a critical eye on Maya. "Is he talking about?"

"He's lying!" Maya practically cried, her voice pleading as she reached towards us; on the opposite side, Duey was doing the same. "He tried to kill Hiro and I, he was on their side-"

"Why would I do that? Huey, she told them _everything_. Our passwords, our real names…they know we're alive. All of us."Duey shook his head, gripping his side and wincing in pain. "I can't believe you'd lie about me."

"That's _it_!" In an instant I'd whipped my gun from my side, causing Jazmine to let out a tiny squeak and Maya's eyes to widen. Duey stared at it, as if processing it. I pointed it at the both of them, my eyes narrowed into slits. "Someone had better start telling me the truth. And _now_."

"Huey, please!" Maya sobbed, falling to her knees and crawling towards us. I pulled Jazmine back, my arm tightening around her shoulders. I felt her shaking beside me. "I wouldn't lie about this! You have to believe me-"

"I'm telling the truth, not her!" Duey cried out, his hands on his head. "Why would I tell some Record Analyst what we do? I'm more loyal than that!"

"Huey, please!" Maya cried. "He's a traitor!"

"Huey!" Duey begged.

"_Huey_!"

"Huey…"

The air was empty, void around us. In front of me, both Maya and Duey were pleading for the innocence, their lives. I shook my head, the gun still aimed at them.

"How do I know you _both _weren't in on it?" I asked, vaguely aware of how still Jazmine had gotten beside me. "What evidence do you have telling me that you aren't both trying to fuck with us right now?"

Maya and Duey exchanged looks before suddenly beginning to shove at each other in their haste to reach us. "Stay the _fuck_ back!" I roared, still positioning the gun towards them. "I'll shoot both of you, I swear-"

My words were cut short when Jazmine suddenly let go of my, grabbing the gun and shoving me down. I let out a groan as I hit the icy ground, rubbing my side and glaring at her. "Jazmine! What are you-"

Her focus, however, wasn't on me. Instead she was clutching the handgun with both hands, pointing it straight towards one person.

"Why'd you do it?" She asked, her voice dangerously soft. I glanced at Maya, who was staring at Duey. He was gazing at the gun aimed at his forehead, his brow coated in sweat. When he didn't reply, Jazmine's eyes narrowed. "Answer me!" She screamed, the gun shaking in her hands. Duey swallowed.

"But I didn't-"

"Cut the bullshit!" Jazmine snapped, shaking her head. "If you're so clueless, how did you know that Maya spoke to a Record Analyst?"

I sat up, my eyes hardening. "Maybe he heard-"

"He didn't hear _shit_!" Jazmine said towards me. "Maya wouldn't do this to us, Huey. Especially not to you." She lowered the gun, staring into my eyes. "She cares about you way too much to hurt you that way."

Maya let out a sob of relief. Duey's face was hard as stone. Jazmine took a step towards him, my gun still in her hands. For a moment, no one spoke.

Then, Duey laughed.

"Jazmine Alston." He shook his head, holding his sides as if he seriously found the current situation to be funny. I felt my insides flare up with anger. "Aren't you the smart one."

"That isn't my _name_, you dumb fuck." Jazmine shook her head as well, eyes locked on him. "It's DuBois."

"Really? That isn't what your records said." When Jazmine raised an eyebrow, as well as myself, Duey went on. "Did you really think I could just let the daughter of the resistance's world renowned leader come up in here? Oh, no." He smiled. "You're too much of a threat to the government."

"What the hell is wrong with you?" I snapped. Maya ran to my side, crouching down. "You were supposed to be on our side, you idiot! We trusted you!"

"Yeah, when it was convenient for you." Duey rolled his eyes, pulling a gun from his side as well. Jazmine froze. "Face it, I was never a real part of the group. If I wouldn't have been Cairo's best friend you wouldn't have even thought twice about me. Everyone knows your special exceptions only apply to women." I watched him glanced from Maya to Jazmine. "I can't blame you on not being able to choose between them. They're both so beautiful-"

"Shut the hell up," I shot back, cutting him off. Duey shrugged.

"Fine. I don't really feel like talking much anyways." He scratched his chin with the tip of his gun. "Face it. Christianity's going to win. Just like it's supposed to." He raised the gun, pointing it towards Jazmine, who was frozen in fear. "Starting with the death of the proposed future leader."

"Jazmine!" I shouted, scrambling for my feet, trying to ignore the pain that shot through my leg. I hadn't even managed to get on one knee before there was a blast, one that rang in my ears, one that made my heart stop. I glanced upwards, expecting to see Jazmine's body sprawled on the ground.

Only…she wasn't there.

"Coward!" I suddenly heard Duey shout, and he took off past us. Maya and I spun towards the cornfield where Jazmine had disappeared into apparently, since Duey had taken off after her. "You gon point a gun? You'd better learn to use one!"

"Come on!" Maya gasped, shooting to her feet and pulling me upright as well. I climbed to my feet, putting all my weight on my good leg and letting Maya hold me upright. Since she was even shorter than Jazmine and a bit smaller it wasn't as easy as it had been before, but nonetheless we rushed for the cornfield, pushing through the tall stalks, the dying sun over the horizon making it that much harder to see. In the near distance we heard another blast, and Maya screamed.

"Jazmine!"

I stayed quiet, shaking my head. Jazmine was okay. She _had _to be. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if she wasn't…

I heard a rustle to my right and glanced up to see a quick flash of a black leather jacket and a head of thick, dark hair. In an instant it was gone, and I heard Duey speak again.

"Jazmine, Jazmine. Why are you running?" Maya and I glanced around. It sounded as if he were coming from every direction. "We both know you're not going to use that gun. Don't worry, though. I have no problem using mine." I heard a hushed chuckle ripple across the field, softer and more distant. "I promise I'll make it quick."

"I can't just _stand _here!" I suddenly snapped, trying to push forward. Maya held me back.

"Huey, there's nothing we can do," She whispered, her eyes wide. "Your leg's broken, and we don't have a weapon."

There was another blast, followed by another. Our heads jerked up and we heard more rushing, someone hurriedly maneuvering through the long rows of corn stalks. I suddenly realized what Jazmine was trying to do.

"She's trying to lead him away from us," I said aloud, shaking my head. "She thinks if he goes after her, we can get out of here."

Maya stared up at me. "How do you know that?"

I shook my head. "Because I know her," I said quietly.

* * *

_Jazmine_

I raced through the darkening field, shoving through leaves and dying stalks, my boots pounding heavily on the cold ground below me. The sky was dark, minus the strip of orange in the horizon. The gun was in my right hand, my bangs were in my eyes, and my heart was pounding so hard that I thought it would beat straight out of my chest. I heard another blast from Duey's gun, followed by a whistling sound. I instinctively threw myself on the ground, as not even a second later a bullet whizzed past where I had been standing. I rolled over and shot to my feet, running in a new direction, away from the orange skyline.

"I know you're out here, Jazmine!" Duey's singsong voice belted out from somewhere behind me. "Come out, come out, wherever you are!"

I kept running, darting through the field and impulsively switching directions, just to throw him off. I didn't want to kill him. Hell, I didn't want to kill anyone! But I sure as hell didn't want him to kill the others. If it was me he was after, then it would be me that he'd get.

Me, and only me.

"You stupid coward!" I heard ring across the field. With a star, I realized that it wasn't Duey's voice, but Huey's. "You want to take on someone? Why don't you come for someone your own size?"

"What are you _doing_?" I whispered to myself, freezing in my tracks. My fingers, toes, and nose were all numb from the cold, yet I was sweating underneath all my clothes.

"Jazmine has nothing to do with this!" I heard Huey shout. "This ain't about her being Tom DuBois' daughter! This is about you being a scared little boy who wants to take out his anger on someone weaker than him!"

Duey's voice suddenly rang out. "You want some of this, cripple?" I heard a rustling a good way across the otherwise quiet field, followed by footsteps pounding the ground as they ran. I realized, with a start, that he'd changed targets.

"No!" I gasped, taking off towards where I thought Huey's voice had come from, tears springing up and practically blurring my vision. "Duey, no! It's me you want!"

"It doesn't matter!" I heard him yell, ahead of me. "You'll all be dead by the end of the night!"

I pushed myself to go faster, my face and hands stinging from the leaves slapping at me, my eyes blinking in the dusk. I heard Duey come to a stop a little ways ahead and I broke into a sprint, running faster than I'd ever remembered running in my life. My chest was burning, threatening to burst form lack of air. My head was swimming.

But I didn't care. All I could think of were Huey and Maya, injured and defenseless, at the mercy of this fucking psycho. He _had _no mercy. I couldn't let him hurt them. I wouldn't.

I finally pushed through the final row of stalks to see Duey standing over Maya and Huey, who were leaning against the van. Huey was shielding Maya behind him, his eyes narrowed. Duey was staring at them both with a triumphant look on his face, his finger on the trigger. I raised my own gun with both hands, my eyes squeezing shut before narrowing into little slits.

_'Duey.'_

My mind let out one final thought and I squeezed the trigger, hearing more than seeing the bullet shoot towards him. Everything seemed to move in slow motion; my hands might as well have taken ten minutes to lower, the sound of the blast must've taken a good twenty minutes to fade. I watched the red stain slowly blossom like a rose on the back of Duey's T Shirt, watched as he fell to his knees, his gun dropping from his hand. My own gun dropped down in front of me as If I had been the one to be hit.

_'I'm sorry.'_

Duey landed face down in the cold grass, his limbs sprawled out. I dropped to my own knees, my heart cold, my eyes wet. I heard footsteps, then felt Maya's arms encircling me. I tried to pull away but she held on, sobbing into my shoulder.

"Thank you." I could hear tears in her voice as well. "Thank you so much."

I felt her let me go, felt her eyes staring down at me, waiting for a response, but I couldn't find one. My hands were shaking, and I raised them, examining them for some sort of change.

He was dead. I was a killer. I'd taken someone else's life. I squeezed my eyes shut, burying my head in my hands. "Caesar's on the phone!" I heard Maya shout from a distance. I didn't even bother asking her how she'd gotten her phone to cut back on. All I could see was Duey's body, laying there so still.

I was a monster.

"You didn't have a choice." I looked up through my tears to see Huey sitting beside me, watching Maya talk into the phone a few feet away. He looked at me. "You did what you had to do. This isn't your fault."

He was wrong. I swallowed, standing to me feet and shaking my head. He didn't understand. He couldn't.

I had officially done something Huey hadn't now; I'd killed another human being. We weren't equals. We weren't even close. I wasn't good enough for him.

I'd always thought he was too good for me. Now, I knew it was true.

Which was why I turned away from him, my hands in my pockets, to watch the last rays of sun disappear, like dying embers in a fireplace. Like the dying pieces of my heart, that felt as cold as the ground we stood on. I heard voices, was aware of movement, but I ignored it.

Maybe if I pretended none of it was there, it would be as if I'd died as well.

* * *

_:Sobsobsob: so sad. :(_

_um...yeah...review? Yes? No?_

_-Kelsey_


	12. Chapter Eleven

_Holy smokes, what is this? An...an update? OMG, IT'S AN _UPDATE_!!!! AHHHHH!!!!!!!11!1 (Kidding. I'm so kidding.)_

_Hello, anyone who still gets up here to read stories! Yeah, it's been a good what, three/four months since I've updated? Yeah, that's what college will do to you. But it's alright because winter break officially starts after next week! Yay! And what better way to kick of the celebration than an update on your favorite story (Once again, I'm kidding. I know you like Little Red Riding Hood waaaaay better :P)_

_So, I am way too lazy to try and see who has reviewed, although I've read them all and am very grateful for them, so thank you! I hope all's been well with you lately as it has me (okay, not _well_, but much improved). And I hope you enjoy the newest chapter :)_

_Disclaimer: I don't own the Boondocks. Don't make me hurt you._

* * *

Old Soul

Chapter Eleven

_"Engines. And friends. Turn them on. Turn them off.  
Life. Death. Are they so different?"_

_-Ruby (The Path)_

_Cairo_

The inside of Lena and Katrina's loft was small, but it was warm. Not to mention, the twins themselves were pretty easy on the eyes.

"Can I get you something?" Lena, the eldest, asked. "Some tea, another blanket?" As the loud, outspoken twin she had wasted no time in getting all of us settled while Katrina had hung back, obviously nervous and feeling out of place. According to Lena, their polar opposites were due to Katrina's birthday falling on the day after Lena's, which made her a cancer.

"You know how those water signs are," She'd joked, making conversation, as Katrina sat in the corner with her knees pulled up to her chest. "Ridiculous."

I'd felt a pang in my chest as I thought of Maya, whose birthday was in July. I _still _hadn't heard from her, which, you know, didn't have me nervous at all. Not. "Not all of them are that way."

Now, I spoke up.

"Actually," I tried, leaning forward in my chair. "Do you happen to have a cigarette?"

"Um, _no_." Caesar rolled his eyes, which had been focused on the door ever since we'd gotten there about half an hour ago, as if he were waiting for Cindy to walk through at any moment. Wait, what was I thinking? Of _course _that's what he was doing! He shook his head, his dreads flapping everywhere. "Kill your lungs on your own time."

"If you haven't noticed," I snapped. "We probably aren't going to live long enough for the damage to even do much."

"Aww come on." Katrina shook her head, her brown eyes sympathetic and her voice soft, as if she were hesitant about saying anything in the first place. "Don't think like that. Everything's going to be fine."

"Fine? Are you kidding me?!" When Katrina's face fell and her sister shot me a disapproving glare I sighed, shaking my head. "I'm sorry." Lena had told Caesar, Trey, Aubrey, and I about how her and her sister had gotten in the resistance, about how well they were about keeping themselves off the government's radar, and (probably the most important) how if anyone messed with her soft spoken sister, they'd have to answer to her. The last thing I was trying to do was get a beat down when there was already enough going on. "I didn't mean it. It's just that Riley and Cindy haven't gotten here yet, we haven't heard from Hiro and Duey in hours, and the others are stuck out in the boonies-"

"I understand that, but there's no reason to freak out just yet." Lena handed me a mug of tea before swishing back to the kitchen, her heels clacking loudly on the hardwood floor. "Things always get bad before they get better."

"Girl, boo." Audrey, another member of the resistance, smacked her lips and folded her arms over her chest. "We all gon die. Shit."

Her husband, Trey, shot her a look. "Aren't you the optimist."

"Maybe I should call Cindy again," Caesar said, feeling around his coat pocket for his phone. "It's been a good hour since-"

The doorbell rang, stopping him mid-sentence. We all exchanged glances, and I felt my heart jolt in my chest.

"Maybe it's Maya!" I yelled, leaping to my feet the same time as Caesar did with him shouting "That's probably Cindy!" We both raced for the door, shoving and pushing at each other so much that Lena, getting sick of the both of us, smacked us both in the back of the heads and knocked us to the side with a swing of her hips. She threw open the door.

Caesar and I stopped rubbing our heads long enough to look up. Our faces fell.

"Well damn. Don't look _too _excited," Hiro stated sarcastically, stepping past Lena. He turned to her, relieved. "Thanks. I'm glad you were actually home."

"Wait, where the hell have you been?" Caesar asked, his voice so shrill that if the moment weren't so serious, I'd probably be laughing.

"How'd you know to find us here?" I asked. Hiro rolled his eyes.

"I didn't know you guys would also be here." He shook off his coat and threw it over his shoulder as Lena closed the door, locking it. He glanced around. "I knew Katrina had a good computer. It's not like we can keep our aliases up with all that's happened today, and I gotta change them quick."

"All that's happened?" I gave Caesar a confused look, which he returned. "We all escaped the protest. And the computer back home was taken care of by Maya, right?"

Hiro snorted. "Yeah, she definitely destroyed that shit. But that doesn't change the fact that the wrong people know we're still alive."

"How is that possible?" I asked, crossing my arms. Hiro gave me a strange, almost sad look.

"Didn't anyone tell you? Maya, Cindy?"

"Tell us what?" Caesar asked, stepping closer. Behind him I could see the other four staring at us with curious eyes. Hiro sighed.

"Duey sold us out, man." He shook his head. "Duey ruined everything. We've gotta start over now."

I felt my eyes widen. I searched Hiro's face, sure that he was mistaken. Maybe he'd hit his head. I mean, it was _Duey_. He was my best friend. We'd been in this together. Hiro had to be wrong.

"Bullshit!" I snapped, feeling myself getting angrier and angrier the more I even thought about it. "How could you say that? Duey's as loyal as the rest of us!"

"Then I sure hope you learn the definition of it, because he ratted us out!" Hiro shot back, taking a step towards me. His eyes were narrowed. "He tried to kill me when I found him talking on the phone about us! He tried to kill Maya! We had to bounce when the FBI rolled up in there! If Maya wouldn't have burned the place down we'd probably be in prison right now!"

I blinked, my mind still clouded with disbelief. Behind me, the doorbell went off again. Caesar shoved past me, throwing it open. I didn't even have to look to know that Cindy and Riley were here, from Cindy's feminine squeal followed by Riley's unmistakable tone.

"Dis bitch stole a cop car!"

"Hiro." I swallowed the lump that rose down in my throat. "Hiro, where's Duey now?"

He shrugged, his hands falling to his sides. "I don't know, man. After he spilled the beans on all of us, I stopped caring about him. Then again," He added, with a sneer on his face. "I guess he decided you were good enough to spare, since he didn't turn you in. Aren't you special."

He gave me another look before striding past, dropping beside Katrina and offering her a smile. I watched her smile back before scooting closer to him, letting him wrap an arm around her shoulders. I turned back towards Caesar, who was kissing Cindy like there was tomorrow and Riley, who had sided up beside Aubrey and was trying to talk to her, unaware of the glare that Trey was shooting him from a few feet away.

I pulled my cell phone out, scrolling through the list of contacts until I got to Duey. I dialed it, holding the phone up to my ear, trying to ignore the feeling of dread that was slowly seeping though my insides. After six rings, there was a beep.

"Hey, Dues?" I said, my voice shaky. I cleared my throat before going on. "Are you alright?" When I was met by silence, which made sense being that I was on his voicemail, I went on. "It's Cairo. I just wanted to know if you were okay. A lot happened today and-"

A burst of laughter sounded from behind me.

"Well, I hope you're with Maya, or Jazmine and Huey. Everyone else is here, so unless you're by yourself-"

I wasn't making any sense.

"Just call me back and let me know you're safe." I sighed. "I'll see you soon?"

I flipped my phone shut between my fingers, rubbing the bridge of my nose. There had to be a reason. There had to be a reason for Duey to have done what he did. Hiro wouldn't lie, but Duey wouldn't betray us. He wouldn't betray me.

Right?

* * *

_Maya_

As much as Jazmine had irritated me in the past, I could see that she had the makings of a great leader. That was because, as shaken as she was, she didn't waste any time on channeling her grief into much needed bossiness.

She'd turned back around towards us as the last rays of the sun crept below the horizon, her eyes hard and unreadable. She'd shed off her jacket and placed it around my shaking shoulders before peeling off her jacket and shirt, leaving her with only a white tank top.

"What are you doing?" I heard Huey ask, voicing my exact thoughts. "You're going to freeze-"

"Shut up," Jazmine said, sinking to her knees, both ends of her shirt in her hands. She appeared to be studying Huey's leg. "Maya, go start the van. Crank the heat up. Make sure the back seat's cleared out."

I stood rooted to the spot, my eyebrows raised with surprise. Even Huey looked puzzled. It was either that, or deliriousness.

"Okay, this is probably going to hurt…" Jazmine bit her bottom lip before raising herself up on her knees, tying her shirt roughly around Huey's thigh. I flinched as he groaned.

"Jazmine, what the hell-"

"I'm making your ass a tourniquet so you don't bleed to death before we get you to the hospital!" She snapped impatiently, her head whipping around towards me. "Maya, start the damn van! Now!"

Too stunned to argue, I ran around to the front of the van, throwing open the door and shoving the key into the ignition. As it roared to life I could hear Huey and Jazmine bickering.

"-Can't go to the hospital!" Huey was shouting. "Do you _want _us to get caught?"

"I don't care! Do you think I'm going to let you die?" Jazmine shot back. I heard Huey roar out in pain again, which made me think that Jazmine was still working with his leg. "You don't understand, do you? I can't lose anyone else!" Her voice got quieter, as if she were trying to keep it from breaking. "I _can't_."

I peeked around the side of the van to see Huey and Jazmine staring at each other. Her hands were still gripping his makeshift bandage, and he lifted his hand to stroke her cheek.

"You're not going to lose anyone," He said matter-of-factly, although his eyes were soft. "Alright? Especially not me. Not yet." He sat up, wincing at his leg. "So calm down. Let's at least go meet the others and then decide if I'm going to go to the hospital. Okay?"

Jazmine nodded slowly, her hands letting go of Huey's bandage and sliding up his arm to hold his hand in her own. "We'll go meet the others but I don't care what you say. We're getting you help. I know they'll agree with me."

I stepped back, swallowing the lump that had risen in my throat. I backed up to the front door and slammed it shut, slowly walking back to them. When I turned the corner I saw Huey sitting up in the same spot, only Jazmine was a good few inches away and both their eyes were averted away from each other. I felt a small bit of satisfaction in the guilty expressions that they wore on their faces.

"I started the van," I announced, my eyes never leaving Jazmine's. "Do you want to drive?"

Jazmine stood up, rubbing her bare arms. "Sure. Sit in the back with Huey and make sure he doesn't fall asleep, if you don't mind." She gave me a feeble smile. "It usually means they're falling unconscious from massive blood lose if that happens. I've seen it before,"

"Really?" I couldn't help myself. "When?"

Jazmine offered me a sad smile. "It's a long story." She turned back towards the cornfield, her face falling. "I guess it would be safer to leave Duey here?"

I looked down at Huey, who was staring at Jazmine's back. "We can't take him," He said gruffly, although it was probably only from the pain he was currently experiencing. " How would we explain it? 'Oh no, officers, we just _found _him dead in the back of the van-'"

"We can't leave him like this though!" Jazmine shook her head. I watched her walk over to Duey's body, studying the way he laid face down in the icy grass. His elbow was turned at an odd angle, his white T shirt blowing in the wind. "No one deserves that."

"What about an anonymous tip-off?" I tried, feeling bad for how miserable Jazmine looked. I walked over to her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "When we get close enough to a pay phone, I'll call the police and tell them I spotted suspicious activity over here. They'll come, find him, and we'll say safe. It's a win –win solution." I offered a tiny smile. "Okay?"

Jazmine looked reluctant, but she gave a stiff nod. "Fine." She turned towards Huey, cracking her knuckles. I walked to his side, crouching down. I noticed how Jazmine glanced over her shoulder, giving Duey's body one final look. "Alright, then. Let's get out of here."

* * *

_Huey_

Since Jazmine, being herself, got everyone on her side about me going to the hospital, it was no surprise when a few hours later I was propped up in my own hospital bed, my leg casted and in a sling and my arm sporting its own brace. Since my leg was currently hovering in the air and my short ass hospital gown had no back, it wasn't _too _awkward.

"So, how do you feel?" Cindy asked from her spot on the foot of my bed, trying not to smirk. "Any better?"

"Of course." I rolled my eyes, trying to ignore Maya as she stroked my hair. I mean, it felt nice and all but what was I, a cat? "A blood transfusion, a broken leg, a fractured arm, two sprained ribs, and a bruised collarbone makes any man feel wonderful."

"That's lucky," Hiro supplied from his spot by the window as he flipped through a magazine. "You could've died. Most people do."

"Maybe God was on your side," Caesar joked. I gave him a look.

"Maybe I should slap you, then you can see who has your back."

"Ooh, you gonna hit me, cripple?" Caesar stood up, prancing around the room. "You gonna- OW!" I'd picked up the TV remote with my good hand, chucking it across the room and smacking him in the shoulder. "Really?! That hurt!"

"Yeah yeah." I tugged at my IV, my eyes narrowed. "What the hell do I even need this for?" I groused. Maya dropped her hand away from my head, grinning.

"What, you have a problem with needles?"

"NO," I said a little too sharply, making her, as well as Cindy, raise their eyebrows. "I just mean that, being that we're descendants from a line of ancestors who commonly suffered my type of injuries, who had nothing but some salt and a little bit of cloth to use as remedies, don't you think I could do without a cluster of fluids being forced into my bloodstream?"

"Nigga, please." Riley cackled. "Yo ass scurred."

I was, but I wasn't going to give them _that_ to tease me for until the day I died.

"Well, when you put it that way," Caesar responded in an even tone. "They didn't have blood transfusions, so you'd probably die of blood loss. When they set your leg, you'd be bed ridden for months due to the unavailability of crutches or wheelchairs, especially since we're black. In fact-" He went on, his grin widening. "-since we _are_ black, you probably wouldn't have even got any medical treatment. They probably would've just shot or hung your ass and threw you in a ditch, then set you on fire-"

"Anyway-" I interjected, shooting him a look. "The point is this isn't the way I'd planned on spending my evening, thank you very much."

"I don't think any of us expected this to happen," Maya said softly. "But it is what it is."

"Easy for you to say," I pointed out, not even realizing my manifested anger until it came spewing out. "Being that you aren't the one that has to find somewhere for us to live. You know, since you burned our house down."

No matter how even tempered Maya usually was, she didn't just let anyone talk to her any kind of way. Which was why I probably shouldn't have been as surprised as I was when she slid back, her eyes narrowed into tiny slits.

"I _saved _our asses, first off," She said, ticking off her statements on her fingers. "Secondly, if I wouldn't have come when I did, you and Jazmine probably would've frozen to death! Thirdly, thanks to Hiro, we all have new identities and information so that we could even afford bringing your ass here! And…er…_fourthly_, what did you do the whole time, besides, you know, lay in a damn ditch?"

"Sorry my _leg _was inoperable at the time!" I shot back, struggling to sit up. "Where do you think you get off-"

"Alright, everybody just calm down!" Caesar snapped as Maya threw herself out of her chair, running out of the room and slamming the door behind her. I eased back down, my heart still racing. "Damn, Huey, stop being so self righteous. We're _all _going to find a new place to stay. We _are _a team." He crossed his arms as Cindy and Hiro nodded in agreement. Behind Caesar, I saw Riley rolling his eyes. "I know you're into doing your own thing, but there's nine of us. We all have to be on the same page."

"Eight," Hiro corrected. Caesar glanced at him, as well as Cindy.

"What?"

"Eight," Hiro repeated matter-of-factly. "There's eight of us, remember? Duey's dead."

Cindy and Caesar exchanged glances; even Riley looked confused. "Duey _died_?" Riley asked. When Hiro nodded, he whistled. "Dayum. So like, do that mean I can get my own room now?"

"Riley!" I snapped.

"What?" Riley shrugged. "No one else had to share rooms! Shit, that was an injustice!" He crossed his arms, stll mumbling. "Nigga wuz snoring all loud an shit."

"Well if there's eight of us now," Cindy went on slowly, glancing around the room. "Where's Cairo? And Jazmine?"

"Er…Jazmine had some news to break to Cairo," I said. "You know, about…why she kind of had to shoot Duey in the back."

Everyone stared at me. Riley blinked.

"Sooo…I gotta share rooms with _Jazmine_ now?"

I looked at him in disbelief. "Where do you even _get _this from?" I asked.

"Okay, I never did get the full story," Caesar said, dismissing Riley with a wave of his hand. "What happened today, exactly?"

"Well, while y'all niggas was out playin hide-and-seek wit da po-po's," Riley said from his chair as he picked up the remote from the floor, cutting on the TV. "Duey was callin da police and tellin dem all our business. Sooo den Cindy and I got home and he tryna shoot up Maya and Hiro and shit, but we knocked him out. So we left, but Maya stayed to destroy the hard drive since the FBI was derr. So den, she burned the house down, but I mean forreal? We really would've been able to stay there still? You gotta blow up erry'thang? _Really_?"

"And?" Caesar pressed.

"And Duey ass got in tha back of the van where Maya was drivin and tried to kill her ass again, but Jazmine got dat ass." Riley was flipping through the channels, his face smug. "Lemme find out Jazmine a G now."

"Why do you think he'd do this to us?" Cindy asked, her voice quiet. "I mean, what did we ever do to him?"

"I don't know, but we can't dwell on that anymore." Caesar wrapped his arms around Cindy's shoulders, resting his chin on the top of her head. "We've gotta look forward. Starting with where we're going to live next."

"I could always whip us up some credit cards." Hiro grinned at us. I cut them all down with a withering look, pointing to the door with my good hand.

"Could you at least _check_ to make sure the coast is clear before yapping off about us breaking the law?" I snapped. The pain was making me more than irritated, and it showed. Cindy made a face.

"Geez, Horrible Huey. They did give you a morphine pump for a reason. Maybe you should use it."

"I don't need no damn morphine," I replied in a sharp voice. "I need for you all to at least act like you don't want to go to jail. Fuck that, get killed."

"He does have a point," Caesar pointed out.

"Fine. I'll be the lookout." Cindy untangled herself from Caesar's arms, skipping to the door. She winked at us over her shoulder before disappearing out the door, closing it behind her. I turned towards the other three. Well, Hiro and Caesar, since Riley was busy watching some Spanish game show and laughing at the way they screamed.

"We can't just keep using credit cards out of thin air," I told them in a quiet voice, trying to ignore the pain shooting up my leg. I sat up more, or at least attempted to. "In the system or not, we still affect the economy. If we make a loan under a name, then switch our names up, that doesn't only affect the banks, but the other interest rates of honest citizens trying to make a living. We can't do that."

"Then what do we do?" Caesar asked. "I mean, I'm sure we could go through the resistance forefront and ask for some funds, but I don't think that would work out."

"Were we able to pull any funds from our old bank accounts before you changed up our identities again?" I asked Hiro. He frowned, shaking his head.

"I tried. They were frozen." He began pacing, his hands clasped behind his back. "We're broke."

I sighed, gently tapping my forehead with my fist. "That is _not _what I wanted to hear."

"Wel, I'm sorry," Hiro said, a hint of a smile to his voice. "Did I mention the Sesame Street Fund of Crackhouse America wanted to give us their support?"

Caesar snorted. I rolled my eyes.

"Boo, nigga. Not. Funny," Riley threw in, his eyes never leaving the TV.

"We can't stay in Chicago," I said, sighing. "We just can't."

"Then what about somewhere in the south?" Hiro suggested. When the rest of us, even Riley, gave him looks of horror he shrugged. "What? It's cheaper to live there!"

"Yeah, cuz errybody marry dey own cousins so da money stay in the family! Hell naw!" Riley said.

"Well…besides that obviously logical reason," I said sardonically, rolling my eyes for possibly the one hundredth time that day. "The south is like bible country. They're more prejudice down there than republicans were towards Barack Obama back in-"

"You think _everyone _was prejudice towards Barack Obama."

"Well, they were!"

"Well fine. We'll stay in the north." Caesar snapped his fingers. "Mississippi?"

I gave him a strange look. "Are you kidding me?"

"Oh. Whoops." He gave me a grin. "I failed geography, remember?"

"New York?" Hiro tried. I turned to look at him, and Caesar did the same. We glanced at each other.

"Well, it is in the heart of the resistance," I admitted, nodding.

"And the cost of living is horrible," Caesar added sarcastically. "But I'm sure if we sell enough crack and the women don't mind sliding down a few poles, we'll be great!"

"Okay, the entire time we were in Woodcrest all you could _talk _about was going back to New York!" I shouted. "Why is it such a problem now?"

"How are we going to gettttttttt thereeeeeeee Hueeeeeeeeeeeeeeey?" Caesar asked, drawing out his words slowly for emphasis. "We'd have to find a place to live, which wouldn't be cheap. We'd have to stay somewhere else as we looked for somewhere to stay, which also isn't cheap." The door opened again, and Cindy stuck her head inside. "Cindy, tell Huey that we can't just up and move to New York City because we're too cheap."

I looked at Cindy. Her eyes were wide as dinner plates, but not with fear, or even worry. Instead, it was as if she had been…enlightened.

"Huey." She shook her head, as if in awe. "Huey, you've gotta see what's going on."

"What?" I gestured to the rest of us. "We're kind of busy, if you didn't notice-"

"No. You don't understand." She pointed towards the window, which faced towards the parking lot. "You've got to look outside."

I gave Caesar and Hiro a confused glance, which they returned. I looked back at Cindy. "Well, I can't really get up right now, so you're going to have to explain-"

"Oh shit!" Riley shouted. He had taken it upon himself to go to the window, peeking through the blinds. He yanked them up by the string, still staring outside. "Y'all gotta see dis shit!"

Hiro went over to the window and the door flew open again as Maya rushed inside. She locked it behind her and retrieved a wheelchair from the corner of the room, unfolding it and pushing it roughly towards me. "You guys saw-"

"Yes!" Caesar's eyes were about as wide as Cindy's. "What is going on?!"

"I don't know, but it's amazing-"

"Ow!" I cried out, not even trying to be strong. "What the hell?" Maya had loosened the small chain that kept my leg sling hooked to the ceiling without warning, so my leg fell like a block of lead to the bed. I gripped it with my hands, hissing in pain. "Damn, could you at least have-"

"Shut up and get in the chair!" Maya said excitedly, nearly pushing me off the bed into the dark blue wheelchair. I was barely in the seat before she was pushing me to the window. The others parted for me to come through as if they were the red sea. "You just have to see this."

"So I've heard." I looked around. "If this is so glorious, don't you think someone should go get Jazmine and Cairo for this?"

"Oh, I think they have the best seats in the house," Caesar said as I came up to the window, sitting up so I could peer out. "Look."

So I did. What I saw made my jaw drop so far I'm surprised it didn't hit the floor.

"What…what _is _that?"

* * *

_Jazmine_

I found Cairo sitting outside on the front steps, a cigarette dangling from between his index and middle finger.

I felt a lump rise in my throat, felt the urge to turn around and run back into the hospital, but instead I willed myself to move forward. I pulled my hat further down over my ears before shoving my hands into my jacket. My boots made firm clacking sounds on the pavement beneath me, my breath coming in shallow bursts that decorated the air with a thin fog.

How was I supposed to tell Cairo I'd killed his best friend?

Cairo had asked where Duey was when we'd all met up at a fellow resistance member's apartment, but no one had answered. It was as if they were leaving it up to me to tell Cairo the fate of him, like it was my responsibility.

Or maybe, in a way, they were looking out for me. They were letting me give him the news in my own way, in a way that might be more comfortable than them just telling him and Cairo hating me. Which I already knew he would do. I wouldn't blame him.

I swallowed as I reached Cairo's side, my throat already dry as a desert. I watched the way his shoulders tensed, the way he seemed to instinctively know I was about to be a bearer of bad news. He slowly looked up at me, his eyes glazed over.

"Cairo." His name escaped my lips before I could even stop myself. I froze, feeling my fingers shake confined within my pockets. He blinked before taking a long puff of his cigarette.

"Jazmine." He let the smoke pour from his mouth like a river before completely blowing it away. "Thank god. I thought you were a nurse who was about to nag me about smoking around the premises. As if I'd listen to her." He snorted. "She's only a nurse."

I felt my insides quickly flaring up as I remembered all the classes I'd taken in college to be a nurse. People always thought the doctors were the smart ones, even though it was the nurses who truly got to know the patients, who had to double check behind doctors to save their asses from giving out medications that could potentially kill someone. Instead I eased myself down on the step beside him, resting my hands on my knees.

"What are you doing out here?" I asked softly. "It's freezing out here."

"I like the cold." Cairo shrugged, taking another puff. "You smoke?"

I shook my head. "I quit."

Cairo raised his eyebrows. "Wish I had that kind of willpower." He leaned back, as if thinking. "Then again, I only smoke when I'm stressed."

I felt a smile creep on my lips. "You must be stressed a lot."

"Sometimes." He regarded me with a look. "So, what brings you out here on this fine October evening? Or…" He checked his watch. "Almost morning."

I sighed. My shoulders slumped. Oh, well. I'd have to tell him sooner or later. Might as well have made it sooner.

" It's…It's about Duey."

Cairo frowned. "Oh."

"Yeah." I bit my lower lip, balled my hands into tiny fists. "I…I…" I looked back up, embarrassed at the tears that were already filling my eyes. "I did something bad."

Cairo didn't look mad, at least not then. He looked worried.

"I-" I swiped at my nose, which was already starting to run. Gross. "He's dead. Cairo, he's dead. I killed him." I waited for a heartbeat to pass, to see if he'd immediately jump in, but he sat still, staring at me with those hazel eyes. "I didn't mean to." I sniffed. "Well, actually, I did. I mean, I didn't have a choice." I was suddenly rambling, the tears finally starting to fall down my cheeks.

"He tried to kill me. He tried to kill Huey and Maya. He tried to kill everyone in the house, and there was no other way to stop him. If there was, I would've done it." I swallowed down a sob, wiping my eyes, which were now so full I couldn't see straight. "I'm so, so sorry."

I started crying freely, giving up on stopping. I let my hands fall into my lap and just sat there, crying. With trying to get back to the others, with getting Huey to the hospital, I'd pushed it all out of my mind. But it was back, and worse than before.

There was no way around it. I was a murderer.

"I used to want to be a nurse," I heard myself blubber before I could stop myself. "I used to want to be a nurse so I could save people's lives, since so many people I knew had died. I wanted-" I let out a sob. "I wanted to feel as if I could do something good, even with all the bad that had happened. And…and I killed him."

I felt a warm arm slide around my shoulders and before I could grasp what was happening Cairo was hugging me to his chest, the cigarette lying on the pavement in front of us, the orange embers still dying on its tip. I tried to stop myself from crying so hard, but Cairo's niceness seemed to open up some floodgate, and I was suddenly sobbing into his chest like some maniac. Cairo smoothed down my hair with one hand, his other hand resting on my back. He waited for me to get some kind of hold of myself before he started talking.

"When Huey first left Chicago, before he came back," He said quietly, his voice making his chest rumble underneath my head. "I felt abandoned. I didn't have many friends, my home life wasn't what I wanted it to be…Duey just sort of fell into place." I closed my eyes, resting my head in the crook of his neck. "He was a good friend. He was loyal, he was trusting, and we both had each other to look out for. His mother, she could get abusive. When we were friends, I never let him be alone." He paused. "But then Huey came back.

"Huey and I, we might get competitive, we might argue a lot, and we might have our ups and downs." He shrugged. "But Huey's…he's a really good guy. He's tough, but he'll do anything for those he really cares about." I could feel him chuckle. "You probably know that by now."

I sniffed.

"Anyways, Duey is…_was_ a lot of good things. But one thing he didn't like was sharing." Cairo shrugged. "I guess he couldn't deal with the fact that he had to share his best friend."

I sat up, not caring how red and puffy my eyes probably were, how shiny my face was. Cairo stared back into my eyes, making me squirm with the honesty I saw in them.

"I treasure loyalty over everything," he said firmly, as if trying to get it through my head. "If you don't have trust, you have nothing. Duey, he did no wrong to me personally. He left my name out when he was reporting everyone to the cops. I'm still safe. He thought we'd still be friends." He shook his head. "But he was wrong." I felt my eyebrows rise.

"Duey tried to kill my friends. He betrayed _my friends_. And for that he doesn't deserve my sympathy." Cairo rested a hand on my shoulder. "You're as much as my friend as anyone in there." He pointed up to the hospital windows in the general direction of Huey's room. "You're smart, you're tough."

I snorted.

"You are. Don't laugh at me, girl!" Cairo cracked a smile before returning to his serious state. "But most of all, you're loyal. How could I hate you when you've saved us all?"

I let out another sob.

"Don't you even sit there and think you're a bad person." He took both my hands in his, leaning closer so that our noses were inches apart. "You're not a murderer. You're not tainted. You're still Jazmine." He let go of my hands, let the space fall back between us, although he was still looking at me. "And Jazmine is a better person than Duey could've ever hoped to be."

I threw my arms around his shoulders, hugging him fiercely as I could. "Thank you so much," I whispered, only with me being the emotional wreck I am I could barely blubber out a few syllables without someone needing a translator.

Just break out the "friend" card if you ever want to see me turn into a human version of Niagara Falls.

I was so busy hugging Cairo and being relieved that he didn't hate me that we didn't even notice the footsteps until they were right in front of us, which at that point were followed by the words "Excuse me, ma'am?"

I sprang away from Cairo so fast it was as if I'd been set on fire. We looked up to see a woman with long, pale blonde hair and soft brown eyes staring down at me. I clear my throat and wiped the last traces of tear tracks away from my face. Her face wore an expression somewhere between nervous and awestruck.

"Are…are you Jazmine DuBois?"

My mouth fell open, and Cairo was on his feet in a flash. "Who are you?" He demanded, yanking me up by my sleeve. I stood beside him, still surprised. His arm came protectively around my shoulders. "How do you know her name?"

"Do not fear," The woman replied softly, shaking her head. She couldn't have been much older than I was. "I am with you in your journey. I am one of your own."

"Prove it," Cairo shot back. I stood rooted to the spot, my eyes darting from his tense, anxious face to her calm, serene one. The woman cast him a look before locking her eyes back onto mine.

"My name is Rachel Thompson," She said, taking a hand from behind her back. I flinched, thinking that she was going to attack us somehow, but instead she held out a single, long stemmed rose. I stretched my fingers towards it. "I am a part of the resistance. And I know of your father."

The dam inside of me, barely repaired, sent tears instantly rushing to my eyes. "My father?"

"He's gone, but he's long from forgotten," She said in her soft tone. "We will never forget him. And within his legacy lies you."

"Me?" I squeaked.

"_We_?" Cairo asked. He no longer looked suspicious, just confused. "Who is we?"

As if they had been cued, a crowd of people suddenly began emerging from the dark parking lot; first came a small group, followed by a bigger group, followed by even more until the pavement was covered with people. My first instinct was to back up a bit, until I noticed that they were holding candles, their faces lit in orange. Rachel smiled, and, to both of our surprise, she crouched down on her knees in front of me, placing her hands in front of her.

She…she was _bowing _to me? What was this, Woodstock?!

"We've heard about you," She whispered as the crowd behind her tightened. "We know of your struggles, of you taking down one of our betrayers. You are truly your father's child. You give us hope." She looked up, her eyes full. "You give us _all _hope."

My hand rose to my face, covering my mouth as I looked behind her. Some people were walking up and placing roses at my feet. Others were simply staring at me as if with the same enlightenment Rachel had.

But everyone…everyone was bowing.

I looked over the sea of bodies folded towards me, the candles that lit the night sky, and I looked over at Cairo, who had long dropped his arm. We turned towards the crowd, all of which were bowing, waving candles, and chanting.

"I…I'm Catholic," I said weakly, trying to think of something to say, but I was at a loss for words. How could these complete strangers, this collective mass of people, think of me as some hero? I looked back over to Cairo, whose face had lost the look of disbelief, settling into one of acceptance. Rachel shook her head.

"You are a woman of peace. It does not matter your beliefs." Her head lowered again.

"What is this?" I asked, looking back out to the now filled parking lot. I could see windows opening above us, could see the cars in the distance that stopped so that their occupants could look out curiously. "What does this all mean?"

The crowd was now singing, their voices loud and full of triumph. They lifted over our heads into the empty air above us. Cairo shook his head, amazed.

"Don't you get it?" He asked in a low voice. "This is for you."

"I mean, I know _that_," I responded, twirling Rachel's rose in between my fingers, tears dancing on my eyelashes. "But why?"

"Because," Cairo whispered with a shrug. He grinned down at me when I gave him a confused look. "Congratulations, Jazz. It looks like you're the chosen one."

* * *

_Om nom nom. All that typing made me hungry._

_I hope you enjoyed it. Please review!!! (Or don't. Whatever :P)_

_-Kelsey_


	13. Chapter Twelve

_Duddddde, it's like, another one. Yeah, I'm updating fast as hell because I had no class from 11:00-5:30 today. But I have a final in an hour (cause my teacher was all "ooh! Let's just push the final up a week and not tell Kelsey EVEN THOUGH SHE WAS OUT SICK FOR DAYS. Grr) So we're gonna make this quick. Big thanks to Darelle The Author and MizzC for the reviews! I'm assuming everyone else either forgot to check for updates, was having too much of a life to review, or are being SLACKERS. Haha, just joking._

_On to chapter twelve!_

_Disclaimer: I don't own the Boondocks. Don't make me hurt you._

* * *

Old Soul

Chapter Twelve

_"When I had nothing to lose, I had everything. When I stopped being who I am, I found myself."  
- Paulo Coelho_

* * *

_October 27, 2022  
Caesar_

It was funny, in a way. Ever since I'd moved from Brooklyn all those years ago, I'd wanted nothing more than to go back. But now, something just felt wrong about returning. Especially under our current circumstances.

When I was eleven, I begged my mom to let me go back and stay with my grandmother. When I was twelve, I tried to trade in my new sneakers for a plane ticket back home, even though my mom had specifically bought them for my birthday. When I was thirteen, I went on a hunger strike in a futile attempt to convince her to move us home. Instead, she just beat my ass when it turned out I wasn't really starving myself, I was just hiding Chinese food in my closet.

The only reason _that _even bothered her was because it had started to rot and brought on our rat problem.

Yet here I was, twenty two years old, and I finally had the opportunity to return home. It was a bit overwhelming, in a way. And Riley's endless talking was _not _helping.

"Can you just calm down?" I tried, barely able to conceal my irritation. Riley was bouncing around the hotel room in his socked feet, going on about some dumb rap he'd memorized off of BET's hot 100. "Aren't you supposed to be packing?"

"Nigga hush!" Riley shot back, still dancing. "I _am _packing."

"Yeah, I don't think dancing around and singing "take your clothes off" over and over counts," I retorted, folding one of my shirts and letting it plop down on the edge of my unmade bed. "I don't know why you do this. You know we've gotta be to the airport early tomorrow morning to get through customs and you just wait till the last minute anyways-"

"Don't try to tell him anything," Huey said, wobbling from the bathroom towards us with one crutch, his right arm in a sling. "When the plane takes off and his ass is still in Illinois, he'll wish he listened." He looked even more surly than usual, which was the only reason I didn't laugh at how pitiful he looked. After all, he was so angry about having to wear a cast on his leg for the next ten to twelve weeks, not to mention letting his sprained elbow heal for the next month, that he'd probably throw one of his crutches at me if I even thought about cracking a joke.

Riley, on the other hand, had no kind of sympathy. "Whateva, cripple."

A sudden pounding sounded on the door, followed by a shrill woman's voice. "Housekeeping!"

"Come back later!" Huey snapped, flopping down on his bed with a grunt. There was a pause.

"Nigga, I was kidding! It's me!"

"Maya?" I asked, opening the door. Sure enough, Maya stood in front of the door, her hand on her hip and a scowl on her face.

"Okay, okay," She said, strutting past me, her mouth already fixed to start on some kind of lecture. Sure enough, before I could even shut the door, she was already off. "I understand that Jazmine is a very valuable part of the resistance. I fully comprehend that a lot of people see her as some "Chosen one"." She made air quotes with her fingers to make her point. "And I get that people have actually donated so much money to us that we could afford plane tickets, not to mention that we were contacted by a Gagillion resistance members from New York that were actually willing to get us a place to live because of it. But I swear-" She hissed, her eyes narrowing and her finger poking Riley in the chest. "If one more person calls our hotel room trying to get me to help them "Holla at a gurl", I will throw myself off the top of the hotel."

"So Jazmine has a few admirers," I said, shrugging. Behind me I noticed Huey sit up as he listened to us. "So what?"

"Um, isn't that dangerous?" Maya asked, throwing up her hands. "You know, being that Jazmine's supposed to be dead? How did all these people find out anyways?"

"Maybe word got out from Duey getting us busted," I suggested.

"Y'all niggas needs ta shut up! My song's on!" Riley turned up the volume on the TV as he shook his butt. I rolled my eyes and shook my head, turning back to Maya, who looked nervous.

"Well all I'm saying," She said, her voice a little more calm. "Is that it's dangerous. Not just for me or you, but for Jazmine." She crossed her arms over her chest. "If news spreads that she's still alive, then-"

"Then what? People deny other's deaths anyways," I pointed out. "Look at that Elvis guy. Look at Michael Jackson. Or Tupac. Or Rihanna! She died like, five years ago and people are still trying to say she's hiding out in Trinidad-"

"Well, Jazmine isn't Rihanna or Tupac or Michael or Elvis!" Maya stomped her foot. "This isn't funny!"

"Of course not."

"Then what are we going to do about it?" Maya gave me a look. "It's hard enough getting through customs alone, let alone getting out of Illinois. How are we supposed to do it with "the chosen one" around?"

"She's right."

Maya and I spun around to look at Huey, who had finally managed to sit up with his back against the wall, his pillows underneath his injured leg.

"Look, this chosen one mess is obviously ridiculous," He said in that diplomatic voice of his, his arms folded over his chest and his eyebrows furrowed. "But people feel as if they need to put their hope in someone. Jazmine is the only child of one of the most powerful men belonging to the resistance. She's the only surviving family member of any of them." He began ticking off people on a list down his fingers. "There was Charles Myrid, and his entire family was slaughtered back in 2018 before he committed suicide. There was Emily Patterson, and she was murdered the second night after being appointed a noble. Jazmine's father resigned, and he along with Mrs. DuBois were still killed. The fact that Jazmine is still alive is enough to make anyone want to honor her. Not to mention she's already proving that she's capable of doing real good for us."

"Like what, _murdering _people?" Maya asked, giving him a look of disbelief. Huey's eyes hardened.

"That's not what she did, and you know it. She saved my life, as well as yours."

"I know." Maya sighed, rubbing her eyes. "It's just that with everything happening so fast...I'm scared with all this exposure, we're going to get caught." She gave us a look. "We've cheated death more times than we probably even know. I don't think we have too many chances left."

"Well, we can't think like that." I shrugged. "It's going to be harder now, but we knew fro the jump this wasn't going to be easy."

"Especially not if we're going to New York," Huey added, leaning back. "It's nowhere near as chill as it is here."

Maya's nose wrinkled. "It's not chill here at all!" She pointed out. Huey nodded.

"Exactly. But it's worse there." He reached behind his back, pulling up the corner of his mattress and retrieving a spiral notebook, flipping through its pages. "Look, we got away with it here, but it'll be impossible once we get to New York." He grimaced. "We're going to have to wear the pins."

My jaw dropped. Maya groaned. Even Riley stopped.

"Oh, come on!" I shouted.

"Aw hell naw!" Riley snapped. "Dat's dat ol bull-"

"Well, we are!" Huey snapped. "Don't cry to me about it, I didn't make up this dumb shit."

"Can I at least get a Star of David one?" Maya pleaded. "At least those are cooler. The crosses make me want to throw up."

"They _all _make me want to throw up," I told her.

Riley flopped down on the foot of Huey's bed, narrowly missing his leg. "Dis ain' even right, man."

"I know." Huey shrugged. "The good thing is, New York has a lot of support for the resistance. There's a lot of anti-s, but they aren't as prominent as they are here. The bad news are that the reforms are worse there."

"You mean-" Riley swallowed. "_Curfew_?"

"Yup."

"Damn!" Riley threw up his hands. "Why can't Hiro just make my ID say twenty one already?"

"Because Hiro does enough law breaking for us as it is!" Huey snapped. I sat down on the end of my matress. "So other than Riley and Maya, that won't be much of a problem."

Maya kicked my T shirt, which was laying in the middle of the floor, out of the way. "This sucks."

"Basically." I stretched, yawning. "Where's Cindy?"

"She's still packing." Maya shrugged.

"Where's Jazmine and Cairo?" Huey asked. Maya held up her hand, examining her nails.

"They both finished packing and went to get coffee." She smirked. "I think they're bonding."

Huey gave her a look. "Bonding?"

"Well, yeah." Maya dropped her hand, heading for the door. "I mean, as much as I'd hate to say it, Jazmine's pretty nice. And Cairo's amazing." She shrugged again. "It wouldn't surprise me if they wound up together."

She disappeared out the door, closing it behind her. I went back to packing my suitcase while Riley picked up the remote and turned the volume up again, resuming his dancing and rapping. Huey just blinked.

"Bonding?" He rolled his eyes and made a face, whipping out a pen. He balanced his notebook on his good knee, beginning to write. "We're trying to fight for human rights and they're off playing love connection?"

"Aww." I couldn't help but tease him. "Is ickle Huey-kins jealous?"

Huey looked up, his eyes filled with so much anger I clamped my mouth shut. "Kidding. I was kidding."

"I ain't." Riley stood in front of Huey's bed, cackling. "Huey and Jazmine sittin' in a tree-"

"You cannot be serious." Huey shook his head.

"F-U-C-K-...OW!"

"Anyways," Huey continued in an innocent voice, directing his gaze back to me as Riley lay shaking on the ground, clutching himself between the legs and howling in pain. Huey's shoe from his good foot lay on the floor beside him. "What were you saying?"

I swallowed. "Nothin, man." I sat down on my own bed, going back to my folding. "Don't even worry about it."

* * *

_Jazmine_

When I got back to Maya, Cindy, and my hotel room a couple of hours later, I turned around to see both maya and Cindy sitting on the edge of my bed, grinning at me. I froze.

"...What?"

Cindy and Maya exchanged looks, then started giggling. I rolled my eyes, dropping my hotel key on the table beside me and pulling off my coat. When the giggling didn't stop, even after I pulled off my snow boots and hat, I whirled around. "_What_?"

"You...and Cairo?" Cindy asked, her blue eyes shinning at me. Maya was still laughing too hard to add anything.

"Um...no?" I peeled off my gloves and let them fall to the floor before I sat on the bed as well, folding my legs underneath me. "Where'd you get that from?"

"Well, besides the fact that you two were always home all day with nothing to do, just the two of you-" Cindy started.

"-And you two going to get coffee-" Maya added.

"-And how you guys always talk about stuff to each other that no one else knows-" Cindy went on.

"Oh, come on!" I held up my hand. "He's easy to talk to. He's funny, he's nice. And he doesn't resent me for killing his best friend. Of course I'm going to talk to him! But-" I added as Maya and Cindy's chests puffed up in triumph. "-We're just friends. Okay?"

Cindy and Maya looked at each other. I lay down on my side facing away from them, resting my head on my cool pillow and closing my eyes. I heard more giggling.

"Well, that's too bad," I heard Maya say. "Cause, I know we're friends and all, but Cairo is so do-able."

I sat up, staring over my shoulder. Cindy snorted into her hand.

"It's true!" She laughed. "He's the sexiest piece of ass I've seen in ages. After Caesar, of course," She added. "Have you _seen _them with no shirts on?"

"Um, ew." Maya rolled her eyes. "Dreads just don't cut it for me."

"Bitch-"

"What is this, a soap opera?" I asked, my eyes narrowed with disbelief. "So you even hear yourselves? Don't you think we have more important things to be talking about?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, Ms. Chosen one." Maya snorted. "I'd hate to bore you with our conversation."

"Stop that. It's so stupid." I lay back down on my back so that I could still turn my head to look at them. I played with the end of my braid. "All I'm saying is that we've got a lot more to be thinking about than men."

Cindy rolled her eyes. "On second thought, never mind. You stick with Huey. You two are way too much alike."

"Me and Huey? _Alike_?" It was my turn to roll my eyes. "What are you, high?"

"You two do seem to think a lot alike," Maya pointed out. I glanced at her, surprised. "You both have a few similarities in personality-"

"You just come off like you're a lot nicer and easier to manipulate," Cindy finished. I raised my eyebrows.

"Um...thanks?"

"Oh, and the eyebrow thing!" Cindy said excitedly, pointing at my face. "Oh, my god. She does the eyebrow thing."

"Really?" Maya made a face, as if she were trying to pop an eye out. "I've been trying to perfect that for ages!"

I shook my head. "You two are special."

"That's what my momma always said!" Cindy replied in a proud voice. "All I'm saying though," She went on, backtracking. "Is that if you want some of Cairo, it don't bother us none."

"Then why don't you guys go for Cairo?" I asked. Maya made a face.

"Because Cindy gotta man. And the only thing you and I have in common, oh chosen one, are tastes in men." She shrugged. "I just don't see him as more than a friend. Hiro is, well, Hiro. Not to mention he dates that Katrina girl. And Riley, he's too...ignorant for my tastes." She rested her elbows on her knees. "It's alright. I've accepted our current love triangle." She smiled at me. "I just hope you don't mind competition."

"I-" I yelled, curling my hands into fists. "Do _not _like Huey Freeman!"

"Wow, that sucks." The three of us whirled around to the door, where Huey was leaning against the door frame, bearing down on one of his crutches. He looked, to my relief, amused. "I guess I should stop watching you sleep at night, and cut it out with the shrine I made of you in my closet." He knocked on the door frame. "Do you guys _ever _lock the door, or are you asking to get killed?"

Cindy and Maya burst out laughing, but I didn't say anything. I felt my face heat up and I flopped back down on the bed, covering my eyes with my hands. I felt Cindy nudge me with her foot.

"We were just discussing how fortunate we are to live in a house full of good looking men." She smiled. "Even the cripples are hot."

I peeked in between my fingers to see Huey's face coloring as well. At least I wasn't the only embarassed one. "Well, I guess I could say the same about the women."

Was Huey _flirting_? I felt mortified. In what universe was this possible?!

"But on a more serious note, Jazmine-" I sat up. "I need you to come with me."

I gave him a look. "Okay...where are we going?" I asked, just so it would be in the open and Maya and Cindy wouldn't be able to make up all the possible destinations that Huey and I could be heading off to. Huey leaned further down on his crutch.

"I've gotta go to my Aunt Cookie's house." He looked at me. "I was wondering if you could drive for me."

"I could drive for you!" Maya volunteered, throwing her hand into the air and practically knocking Cindy off the bed. I smirked, wondering exactly how much of our conversation Huey had heard. I looked him over.

"Why can't you drive yourself?" I asked. "Your right leg is perfectly fine."

"Because I'm doped up on Vicadin and Oxycontin and I don't exactly feel like dying tonight," He snapped, shaking his head. "Can you just drive?"

"I can take you!" Maya howled again. I jabbed my finger behind me.

"She can take you."

"I...appreciate it. Really, I do." Huey looked from her back to me. "But I really need for you to do it."

I mentally groaned. It was cold as hell and I was not trying to have to "suit up" again just to venture in the cold. Then again, I was a bit curious as to why I had to be the one to chauffeur Huey around for the evening.

"Fine." I threw up my hands. "I'll drive you."

"Thanks." Huey hobbled out of the doorway, disappearing into his room two doors down. I closed the door back, wincing as the giggling started back up again. I slowly turned around to see Maya and Cindy laughing.

"Oh, no." Cindy picked up a magazine off the floor. "Huey totally doesn't like you."

Maya gave me a dirty look. I rolled my eyes.

"Whatever."

* * *

_Huey_

The drive to my Aunt Cookie's house was long and tense. Other than me speaking up to tell Jazmine on which streets to turn or which lanes to get in, there was no type of conversation. The radio was even off (then again we were in a rental car now, so I hadn't bothered trying to fill it with my own music collection).

"You know I was joking, right?" I said as we parked in front of the house, the porch light popping on and casting the porch in a yellow light. Jazmine blinked at me as if confused, but I knew she wasn't. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what I was referring to. "I don't have a shrine of you in my closet."

"I know." Jazmine managed to crack a smile as she unbuckled her seat belt.

"I don't like you in that way." For some reason my tongue seemed to shrivel up inside of my mouth and dry up as I said that, but I ignored it. A dark looked crossed over Jazmine's face.

"I know," She repeated, her voice sour. Before I could say anything else she had thrown open the driver door, hopping out of the car and slamming it shut. I rolled my eyes and pushed open my own door.

After Jazmine handed me my crutches, we walked up the sidewalk and the front steps. Jazmine stood looking out into the street with her arms crossed as I knocked on the door. As we waited I turned to look at her.

"What _now_?" I asked impatiently. Jazmine didn't respond. "Hello?"

"Huh?" She looked confused. I rolled my eyes.

"Something's obviously bothering you, so you might as well say it."

Jazmine clasped her hands together, taking a deep breath before speaking. "Do you...do you like Maya?"

It was my turn to be confused. "What?"

"Maya. Do you like her?"

I raised my eyebrow. "She's a good friend-" I began, cautious of my words, but Jazmine shook her head.

"You know what I mean, Huey."

"Yeah, I do." I looked away, staring back at the door in front of us. "I just don't see why it's any of your business."

"It's a yes or no question. You don't have to whine about it."

Jazmine's sharp tone, her words, reminded me so much of something I'd say that I had to open and close my mouth, just to make sure it wasn't me that had spoken. "I don't," I said quietly, not taking my eyes away from the door. I reached forward, knocking again. For a moment, Jazmine was quiet. Then, she spoke again.

"Then, don't you think you should tell her?" When I gave her a look she gave me the same one in return. "She's nineteen, Huey. She's really into you and it's not fair for you to string her along. You could really hurt her."

"I don't string-"

"Well, you don't deter her." I saw a light come on in the inside of the house. "It's not fair to her, Huey. It's not fair to her, and it's not fair to you to have to try and spare her feelings. You should just be honest."

"You don't understand." Another light came on, this one closer. "It's not that easy." I looked at her. "I haven't always made the best choices when it's come to her."

Jazmine didn't look convinced. "Then why," She said in a flat voice. "Don't you start now."

The front door creaked open, exposing my Aunt's tired face. Her eyes widened and the door flew open. "Huey!" She said, her features lighting up. At least until she took in my cast and my arm, still in its sling. "What happened to you?"

"Oh, nothing much." I shuffled in past her, trying hard to keep the sarcasm out of my voice. "Just a little accident."

Aunt Cookie turned to Jazmine, shaking her head as if to say 'What's next?'. "Come on in, girl! You'll catch a cold out there."

Jazmine walked in, standing beside me as Aunt Cookie shut the door and locked it. "Now, what brings this visit?" She asked. Jazmine looked towards me, but I averted my gaze.

"Is Athena here?" I asked. In the corner of my eye I saw Jazmine's eyebrows lift. Even Aunt Cookie looked surprised.

"Well...yes, she is," She said, gesturing towards the stairs. "She's in her room but she's sleeping, I believe-"

"Sleeping my foot," Came Athena's voice as she glided down the stairs, more gracefully than anyone in the house. And she was the blind one. "I couldn't sleep with all your racket. Who's here? That Huey boy and his little girlfriend?"

Jazmine smirked. I sighed. Aunt Cookie ran her hand across her forehead.

"Yes, Athena." Athena reached the bottom stair and came towards us. Her dress, pale and yellow, had bells around the sleeves that clanged together like sleigh bells when she walked. It was pretty weird. "Huey asked about you."

"Of course." Athena shot me a grin. "I knew he'd come. And of course, that he'd bring his friend."

"I'm sure." Aunt Cookie shook her head, heading for the kitchen. "I'll be making tea, if you need me."

Jazmine looked more than eager to go with Aunt Cookie, but she stayed rooted to the spot. I looked at Athena, hardly believing what I'd even come here for. But we were already here, so there was no turning back.

"Athena." I cleared my throat. "I was wondering...you're into the metaphysical world and all of that-"

"You mean I am a psychic?" Athena emphasized, her unseeing eyes narrowed. I nodded before remembering that she couldn't see.

"Yeah. That. Well." I shuffled nervously. "I was wondering if maybe you could tell us our futures."

Jazmine gave me a startled look. Knowing me as long as she had, she knew that I didn't believe in what couldn't be proven, what couldn't be seen. But maybe, just this one time, I was willing to believe. Especially since there was so much at stake.

Even Athena looked hesitant.

"I don't know, child," She said in a low voice. "The future is as fragile as glass, as ever-changing as the sands of the desert. I can tell you what I see and what the cards tell me, but that does not mean it will come to pass. Only you will be able to choose your destiny."

"Yeah, I know. Just..." I sighed. "Well, it is our last night here before we go to New York. I was just hoping to get some good news. You know," I finished lamely. Athena's lips crept up into a wobbly smile.

"Of course," She said, although her tone was filled with amusement. I looked at Jazmine, who was giving me a look of disbelief. "Yes, that is fine...come with me."

Athena walked past us, heading to the living room. Jazmine and I fell in line behind her. Even with my back turned, I could feel the look that Jazmine was giving me as if it were burning into my head. "Are you sure you didn't take too much medicine?" She whispered in my ear as Athena went to a corner of the living room, retrieving what looked to be a deck of cards. "You don't take any of this seriously. You _know _you don't. You laughed so hard at the fortune teller at the fair back in Woodcrest that she ran away crying!"

"Yeah, well this is different," I whispered back. Athena sat down at a chair in front of the living room table. I could see her spreading a black cloth across the table. "I just have a feeling that this will help somehow."

"Help _what_? Help us get sent to the crazy factory?"

"Come!" Athena called, shuffling the cards. "The cards are calling to you."

Jazmine gave me a look. "Really, Huey?"

"Just go," I mumbled, hobbling into the living room and settling onto the couch opposite of the chair. Jazmine sat down on the opposite end, being careful so she wouldn't bump my leg. Now that we were here, this did seem ridiculous. How could Athena tell the future by a deck of cards? Especially since she was _blind_?

Athena leaned back, her expression impassive. "Who would like to get their reading first?" She asked. Jazmine gave me a pointed stare and I winced, choosing to look at Athena as I spoke.

"Actually...I didn't want a reading," I admitted. "I brought Jazmine here for one."

"WHAT?" Jazmine shrieked. I cringed. Athena, on the other hand, looked excited.

"Well then, Jazmine." She placed her hands, holding the deck still, in her lap. "What do you want to know?"

Jazmine glared at me. I glared back. "I don't know, Huey," She said through clenched teeth. "What do I want to know?"

I looked towards Athena. "I don't know. Aren't there some spiritual guidelines you could tell us, or something?"

Athena shrugged, shuffling the deck. "There is always spiritual guidance, within us as well as around us." She smiled. "How about we just ask for guidiance on your journey." She took out a good chunk of the cards, shuffling the left over ones before stopping. "New York is a far away place." She held the deck out to Jazmine. "Would you like to shuffle them?"

"Um..." Jazmine may have been skeptical, but one thing she'd never been was rude. "Okay." She took the cards, shuffling them as if we were about to play poker. After she stopped, she shifted uncomfortably. "So now what do I do?"

Athena smiled. "Drop them."

Jazmine stared. "Wait, what?"

"Drop them on the table and pick out a few." Athena leaned back, clasping her hands together. Jazmine made a face.

"Just drop the damn cards," I hissed. She gave me a dirty look before letting the deck slip out of her hands onto the table. The cards spilled across the surface, making a surprisingly neat line. Jazmine picked out three and placed them on the table in front of Athena, still face down. Athena flipped over the first one, her fingers brushing the card's surface.

"The fool."

I snorted. Jazmine tossed me a dirty look, her braid falling over her shoulder. Athena turned over the second one.

"The lovers."

Jazmine and I stopped making faces at each other long enough for me to notice how drastically the atmosphere of the room had changed. It was as if the air had suddenly gotten thicker, like it was being pressurized. I looked at Athena's hand as she flipped over the third card.

"The high priestess."

Jazmine stared at her, all traces of irritation gone from her face. I looked at the ground, waiting for Athena to say something. Somehow, this didn't feel pointless anymore.

"You are a young woman filled with an abundant amount of potential," Athena finally said quietly. Her head was bowed, her eyes closed. "You are at the beginning of a new chapter in your life, and it's up to you to decide whether it's positive or negative. The fool is behind all power and all energy. The fool represents the first step. Without that step, you have no journey." She stopped as if letting the words sink in before going on.

"You are filled with emotions. Your love for the people around you is infinite. You steadily try to see the good in people time after time, even when they have let you down. Only, like I've said before, your love for others just may be your downfall."

Jazmine shifted nervously in her spot.

"Love, whether you want to believe it or not," Athena continued, her gray eyes staring at some point over my head. "Is what you are centered around. Your love makes you strong. Your love makes you powerful. Your love makes you dangerous."

"Dangerous?" Jazmine asked. "How is that?"

"Love is like a flame," Athena answered, not seeming at all annoyed that Jazmine had interrupted her. "When it is in control it can be beautiful, pure, good. Only when one isn't cautious with love, it can consume and destroy those around you. It can tear people apart, as well as yourself. Love can be beautiful, but you must think before you act on it. Love can make you happy, or it can make you suffer worse than ever before."

"What about the high priestess?" I heard myself ask. I wasn't trying to be rude, but it seemed like all I'd been hearing people talk about today was love. It was time to move on.

"Ah. The high priestess." Athena's smile grew larger. "The high priestess speaks to one's unconscious. She's your inner voice, your intuition. She is the balance. You are a person who keeps those around you in balance, in harmony. The high priestess is also a symbol of the part of you that no one sees, such as your flaws and your negative thoughts." Athena's eyes seemed to settle on Jazmine. "You inner voice is trying to tell you something. It's trying to tell you to look around yourself, to be aware of your surroundings and those who surround you. You just have to listen for it."

Jazmine was quiet. Athena leaned back, appearing satisfied.

"I've told your friend Huey here," She said softly, gesturing towards me. "That you are a woman of tremendous power. I felt it in you the first day I met you. But you, my dear, are afraid."

Jazmine looked surprised to hear that. "I am?"

"Of course." Athena reached across the table, patted Jazmine's hand with her long, bony fingers. "You cannot unlock the secrets of your unconscious until you stop being afraid of yourself, afraid of making choices. When you learn to refuse to fear, you will unlock your power. When you unlock your power, you can embrace your love. When you embrace your love, you will be able to love yourself." She tapped the card, the fool card, which was still still laying up with its picture facing us. "You just have to go with the flow of the journey."

Jazmine seemed to be taking Athena's words seriously, considering that we'd been all but scoffing at her less than ten minutes ago. "How do I-" She stopped, clearing her throat. "How do I stop being afraid?"

Athena reached across the table and once again took Jazmine's hand in her own. I watched as Jazmine clasped her hand back, her eyes burrowing into Athena's eyes. The older woman gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.

"You let it all go."

* * *

_October 28, 2022  
__Hiro_

I hadn't had time to really focus on my parents' deaths, which was why I was sitting on the railing that ran around the perimeter of the third floor. It was freezing and I felt as if my nose would fall off, but it didn't matter then. My eyes burned, but they remained dry. I heard one of the room doors open, followed by footsteps. I ignored them.

"Hiro?" I turned around to see Cindy standing there, a concerned look on her face. I whirled back around, annoyed. It got irritating sometimes, having all these maternal figures around. Couldn't they see I didn't want comfort? Couldn't they tell I wanted them to leave me alone? "Are you okay?"

I rolled my eyes, still not looking at her. "Oh, I'm perfect." I felt her rest her hand on my shoulder and I shrugged it off. "I'm really great. You know, I just have always enjoyed sitting on hotel railings at one in the morning."

"Hiro, come on." I glanced over my shoulder at Cindy. She looked tired and was shivering since she was only in a T shirt and some boxer shorts. I tried not to feel too bad for her. After all, who told her ass to come outside with no clothes on? "You should get some rest. We're leaving early tomorrow. Our flight's at ten-"

"I know when our flight is, I'm the one that booked them in the first place!" I snapped. Cindy's eyes narrowed. "I have better things to worry about than making some flight!"

"Like what?!" Cindy asked incredulously.

"Like staying in Woodcrest!" I snapped. We both fell silent, staring at each other. My chest heaved up and down. Cindy's gaze softened.

"Hiro..." She reached her hand out, then, remembering what had happened last time she tried touching me, let it drop down to her side. "Hiro, you can't just stay. It's not safe for you here."

"Yeah? Well maybe I don't care anymore." I shook my head. "Do you realize that my parents' own funeral was yesterday and I couldn't even go? because it was "too dangerous"?" I snorted. "My own parents died, Cindy. They're dead. They didn't run off to another continent like yours, or go on some archaeological dig in Turkey. They're _dead_. They aren't coming back." My throat ached and my nose burned. "I couldn't even say my final goodbyes at my own parents' funeral!"

"Hiro, you can say goodbye to them now!" Cindy said. "They loved you. They-"

"-They thought I'd disappeared," I snapped before she could finish. "They thought I was gone a long time ago. And now I'm still here."

Cindy stayed quiet for a moment, which relieved me to no end. It gave me more time to mope. I rested my head on my knees, holding on to the pole on my left that reached up to the ceiling sot hat i wouldn't fall off the edge. A moment later, Cindy slid onto the railing next to me. I inwardly groaned.

"I'm not big on organized religion," She said, staring off into the distance. The chilly night air blew her blonde hair away from her face, causing it to flow in the air like some satiny curtain. "You all know that. I don't think anyone can prove whether there's some powerful being out there in the universe." She shrugged. "But I like to believe that there is."

I didn't speak.

"I don't try to pretend to know the answers to what can't be explained," She went on, resting her hand on mine. "I know the chances of there being a god...they're slim. But I don't care." She gave me a smile. "I just like to have something to believe in. I like to get comfort hoping that there's something waiting for us after this life. I like to think of my gran-gran, of my cousin Lucy, and hope they're in a better place. I don't want a hole in the ground to be the end. I don't want to have to look at someone's body and go 'That's it for them. It's over'." Cindy's eyes were shining. "So I don't think that way. I hope that there's something out there, and if there isn't, then at least I hoped." She shook her head, her eyes locked on mine. "It's not over, Hiro. It's not over for your parents, and it isn't over for us." She hoped off the railing, rubbing my back. "It isn't over for you."

I turned away again, staring at the moon.

"If you want to stay here, you know we'll understand." Cindy gave me one last smile before turning on her heel, heading back for her hotel room. "But I think you owe it to yourself to try and fix things for the rest of those who've lost hope." Her hand rested on the doorframe. "I think you owe it to your parents."

She stepped into the dark room, closing the door. I looked back to the night sky, turning her words over and over in my head. Then, I finally let myself cry.

* * *

_Yeah yeah, pretty uneventful...what did you expect, for their house to burn down?_

_Oh...wait... _

_-Kelsey_


	14. Chapter Thirteen

_Yay, chapter thirteen! I had my Biology final today, and I practically laughed my way through it. It was twenty five measly questions of everything I _didn't _remember. Woohoo Science! Anyways, big thanks to once again, Darelle the Author and MizzC for the reviews. I guess no one else loves me anymore. :sobsob: Joking._

_Before I stop typing up a storm, let me just say I had a lot of fun writing this chapter. And I mean A LOT. Don't ask me why because I honestly couldn't tell you...but I think quite a few people just might want to knock me out at the end of it. At least wait until I finish the story to do so, alright? Yeesh._

_And now, here's Chapter Thirteen!_

Disclaim: I do not own the Boondocks. Because I'm not cool enough. :sad face:

* * *

Old Soul

Chapter Thirteen

"_An important part about moving on to the future and letting go of your past is grieving for what you have lost. It's alright to cry, because the more you let yourself cry, the less you'll have to in the long run."_

_-F. Medows_

* * *

_August 15, 2016  
Jazmine_

"_You know," I said quietly, averting my eyes and choosing to stare up into the branches of the big tree near Huey's front yard as we walked home. "I haven't had my first kiss yet."_

_Huey shrugged, his hands in his coat pockets. "Good. There's no one around here worth kissing."_

"Huey!" _I whined, stomping my foot. "This is serious! Tessa McCoy said-"_

"_Oh, my god." Huey shook his head, rolling his eyes. "If I hear one more thing about this Tessa McCoy girl, I swear I will-"_

"_But seriously!" I went on, ignoring him. "She said she had her first kiss when she was six. Six!" I threw up my hands. "Why didn't I kiss anyone when I was six?"_

"_Because unlike Tessa McCoy," Huey commented, smirking slightly. "You've never been a hoe, even at the tender age of six years old."_

_I snorted._

"_It's no big deal, Jazmine," He went on as we crossed the silent street. "Kissing is nothing more than a physical mean of feeling attraction. Most people this day and time don't even look for chemistry, they look for cheap hookups. So you aren't missing anything."_

_I felt my cheeks redden. "Have you ever kissed anyone?" I heard myself ask. Huey's eyebrows shot up._

"_This is any of your concern…how?"_

"_Because I'm your best friend, and I think this was in the 'What Best Friends Should Know About Each Other' handbook somewhere."_

"_And when was this published?" Huey's tone was doubtful._

"_Around the same time as 'If Your Best Friend is Stalling on a Question, the Answer Must be Yes'," I replied smoothly. Huey glared at me. "Oh, come on. Who am I going to tell?"_

"_Oh, I don't know. Cindy? Your idol, Tessa McCoy?"_

_I smacked his shoulder and he feigned being hurt, stumbling along the sidewalk. I made a face. "Why are you wearing that coat? It's eighty degrees outside-"_

"_It was cold in the movies, alright?" He shot back, peeling off the black trench. "Anyways, Jazmine, if you must know, I have indeed kissed someone."_

_I felt my breath catch in my throat, my heart squeeze painfully in my chest. "Really?" I wiped my palms on my black shorts, my eyes wide. "Who?"_

"_The question was 'Have I kissed anyone' not 'Who did you kiss." Huey glanced at me. "Why do you care?"_

_I puffed out my chest, waved my hand dismissively. "I don't."_

"_Really." We were near my driveway now, the streetlights breaking up the darkness, fireflies zooming up and down the street as if they were having some insect party. "Because I think you do."_

"_Doesn't matter what you think, you're still wrong." I ran my fingers through my hair, looking for split ends. "I was just being curious, if that's alright with you."_

"_Were not." Huey sounded as if he were on the verge of laughing. "And you're so nervous."_

"_Am _not_!"_

"_You are. You're playing with your hair."_

"_So?" I shot back, half flattered that he knew me that well and half annoyed that he knew me that well. "That doesn't mean anything."_

"_Oh, it means something." We were on my front step now, and somehow my back was to the door while Huey was facing me. Since we both hit our growth spurts around the same time we were still around the same height, with him only being taller than me by a couple inches. "Do I make you nervous, Jazmine?"_

_I knew he was only kidding around, yet I felt my face color regardless. I tried to take a step back, only my back came up against the front door. I was trapped._

"_You don't make me nervous," I responded quietly, aware of how intense his eyes were on mine, how both his hands were balanced on the door on either side of me. His head was leaning down towards mine, his hair blowing slightly in the breeze. I forced a laugh, sweeping my own hair out of my face and trying to ignore the butterflies that had somehow found their way into my stomach. "Is that what you're supposed to be doing? Making me nervous?" I shook my head, turning around and searching my pockets for my house key. "Nice try, but-"_

_Before I could catch my breath Huey had grabbed my arm, spinning me back towards him so that once again my back was on the door, his hand leaving my arm to grasp my chin with his other hand still balanced against the door. "What about now?" He asked, his voice lower, smoother. I swallowed, not able to look away from his mahogany eyes._

"_Maybe…a little…"_

_He was leaning towards me, his eyes closing, his lips slightly parted. And then, just inches away from me, he stopped, opening his eyes and laughing._

"_You look like you're going to have a heart attack!" He said, shaking his head and turning away, still laughing. "Jazmine, I was kidding. I don't think your parents would appreciate it if they came home to find you passed out on the front porch-"_

_This time it was me who grabbed his arm, me who spun him around to face me, causing his laugh to die in his throat and his eyes to widen. Before he could react I was crushing my lips against his, grabbing his collar with both hands, my eyes squeezed shut. I expected him to push me away, expected him to start yelling at me…instead, I felt his arms slowly encircle my waist, pulling me closer. I could feel his hands on the small of my back, how soft and sweet his lips tasted against mine…_

_And then, I was out of air. I pulled back, pushing my hair behind my ears. It was my turn to laugh at his expression, even though I didn't really find anything funny about the situation._

"_Now _that_," I said casually as I turned on my heel and walked towards my front door, leaving him to stand with a shocked expression on his face. "Is how you kiss a girl."_

* * *

_October 28, 2022  
Huey_

"It's great that we have free housing and all," I heard Cindy say anxiously as we made the way down the hallway towards our new loft. "But if the place turns out to be a dump, I'm sorry. I just might cry."

"Cindy, we're in Manhattan," Caesar replied, shaking his head at his high maintenance girlfriend. "We're lucky we could afford a _box _to live in."

The people at the airport had felt so sorry for me that they'd given me a wheelchair, which, as lazy as it made me feel, was very helpful. Maya was pushing me, being that I'd tried to wheel with my one good arm and had wound up almost hitting the wall. Caesar and Cindy were walking at the front of the group, with Cindy critiquing on everything from the carpet that lined the hallway to the paint on the wall and the dim lighting. Behind them, Cairo and Jazmine were carrying even more luggage and laughing about something. Hiro and Riley followed the rear, carrying the most luggage and complaining about it in voices that were anything but quiet.

"Calm down," I said, watching Caesar as he unlocked the door. "It is not that serious. We're lucky we even got a place to live, or that we even got out of Illinois without going through those damn random identification checks." The hallway suddenly started spinning and I gripped the arms of my chair before I realized I wasn't having a stroke, like I'd originally thought. "Maya, cut it out!"

"Sorry." Maya offered me a grin from over the back of my chair, her straight hair falling over my shoulders. "It seemed like it would be fun."

"Fun for who, you?"

"Basically."

"And here we are." Caesar threw open the door, disappearing inside. "I give you Casa- DAYUM!"

"Ooh lemme see lemme see!" Riley vanished inside next, and his reaction was just the same as Caesar's had been. "DANGGGGG! Lemme find out the big shot resistance people are _ballinnnnnnnnnn_-"

"Riley, cut it out!" I snapped, glancing over my shoulder to make sure no one had overheard him. "Do you even know what it means to be inconspicuous?" Maya wheeled me inside the others went through, and my eyebrows raised. "Wow."

The loft was bigger than anyone had anticipated. There were high ceilings, a wide kitchen, and tall windows that made the room feel that much bigger. A set of stairs on the right wall led to a visible upstairs, while a doorway beside them led to what were presumably more rooms. There was already furniture, but there was definitely room for more if we wanted it. Cindy and Maya high fived while Riley danced around, shaking his butt in the air. Hiro, Cairo, and Jazmine merely stared with their mouths hanging open. The luggage dropped from their hands, hitting the floor with dull thumps.

"Everybody get na-kedddd-" Riley began, but I cut him off.

"Get up off that song!" I groaned. Maya ran through the doorway, then zoomed up the stairs, disappearing into one of the rooms and popping out again. "There's five rooms!" She yelled from the upstairs balcony. "And I claim a room all to myself!"

"Oh hell naw!" Riley shouted, running up the stairs to her. "Nuh uh, my nigga! I had to share a room with a homicidal maniac. Big Reezy gets his own dis time!"

"Well, Cindy and I can share," Caesar volunteered, winking at me and wrapping his arms around Cindy's shoulders. "So I don't care." Cindy grinned up at him. I tried not to throw up.

"I think it would be a lot safer if we just drew for them." Maya and Riley's faces fell. "It just wouldn't be fair."

"Nigga puh-lease." Riley waved his hand. "Everyone's here. Everyone should just be able to get whateva' room dey want!"

Even though I knew Riley could care less and was just doing saying that to get his own room, I couldn't help but shrug. "You're right." I sighed. "Fine. Knock yourselves out."

Everyone exchanged panicked glances. Then, it was chaos.

"I claim this room!" Maya gushed, disappearing into the center door on the second floor. I heard her squeal.

"I got dis one!" Riley danced into the one on her left.

"Well, which one do you want, Cin?" Caesar asked with a shrug. Cindy hugged him, kissing his cheek.

"As long as I get to be with you, it doesn't matter."

I sighed, rolling my eyes at them. "Spare me. Please."

"Move it slow poke!" I heard Jazmine shriek, hopping over the luggage to run for the hallway. I watched as Cairo swooped around, grabbing Jazmine around her waist so that he could drop her behind him. She was laughing and beating at him with her fists. "You cheater!" She cried out as Cairo head for the hallway. She tugged at his arm, causing him to lose his balance. They both collapsed on the ground, laughing. "You can't just physically keep me from getting my own room-"

"Excussssse me, Huey." Cindy let go of Caesar, skipping down the hallway and taking my attention away from the other two. "I'm too lazy for stairs. I'll take the…oh, my god! Master bedroom!"

The moment she said that, Maya and Riley's heads popped out of their new rooms. Hiro quit fumbling with his suitcase. Cairo jumped up and reached down to pull Jazmine to her feet, and everyone stared around with wild eyes.

"MINE!" They screamed in unison, charging through the apartment like wildfire was spreading. Cindy screamed, running into the room and slamming the door. "Go away!" I heard her scream as Maya and Riley threw themselves at the door while trying to push the other one away. Cairo, Jazmine, and Hiro joined in, knocking each other out of the way. I shook my head, glancing up at Caesar.

"Don't you just love how diplomatic they're being about the situation?" I snorted. Caesar shrugged, his hands in his pockets.

"I don't really care, as long as our door has locks so Cindy and I get our privacy."

I made a face. "What makes you think I'd want to know that?"

"I just like torturing you." Caesar tapped his chin. "Ah. I guess these are some of the many joys of starting over new lives."

There was a sudden crashing noise, followed by the sound of tearing wood and a loud _thump_. Someone screamed. "Huey! The door broke!"

"Oooh! Jazmine's fat ass did it!" Riley yelled.

"My room!" I heard Jazmine screech as everyone disappeared into the room. There was more screaming.

"MINEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" Riley whined, as if he were regressing to third grade.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! Cannibals!" Cindy screamed.

For a moment, I was silent. Then I sighed, slapping my hand over my face.

"Yeah, this is a joy alright." I dropped my hand to my lap. "Go get the drawing straws," I told Caesar, wheeling towards the master bedroom to get the others.

* * *

_Maya_

Because luck is never on my side, I lost out on my own room and had to share with Jazmine. Huey and Cairo got their own rooms while Caesar shared with Cindy and Riley shared with Hiro. Since we hadn't exactly had a way to stop by a furniture store yet, all the rooms only had one bed.

The one in our room was a twin.

We stood side by side at the doorway, neither one of us too happy about the arrangement but too nice to say it aloud. I stared at Jazmine, who was holding her suitcase in her hand, her hair in two long braids that both went over her shoulders. She was wearing some Canadian hockey jersey and a pair of black shorts she'd changed into after we got here, due to Riley laughing so hard about the broken door he'd spilled some juice on her jeans. She looked back.

"I want the bed," I told her, my voice much more bossy than I'd meant for it to sound. Instead of objecting, like I'd imagined she would, she shrugged indifferently and carried her suitcase into the room, setting it down on the floor and plopping down beside it.

"Okay."

Well. That was anti-climactic.

Jazmine unzipped her suitcase, thought twice about it, then closed it again and shoved it against the wall opposite my bed. "Do we have any hangers?"

"Nope."

"Guess there's no point in unpacking, then." She put her back against the wall, her knees up and her hands resting against them. Sunlight poured in through the window in the center of the wall, making a rectangular patch of yellow on the hardwood floor by her feet. Feeling awkward I set my own suitcase on the bed, backtracking for the door.

"Alright. Well." I jabbed my thumb behind me, towards the kitchen. "I'm going downstairs. See if anyone needs any help with anything." I didn't know why I felt the need to explain myself to her but it came out regardless.

Jazmine nodded again, staring out the window. She was oddly quiet, but I didn't press her. Instead I hopped out the room, charging down the stairs to peek around.

I strolled into the kitchen to see Huey sitting at the table, a notebook resting on the surface and a pen in his hand. He was chewing on the eraser, his leg propped up on the neighboring chair and his expression one of deep concentration. I didn't want to bother him so I strode past quietly to see if there happened to be any cups in the cupboard.

There weren't.

"Caesar and Cindy are at the store now," I heard Huey say. I glanced over my shoulder; he hadn't even looked up from what he was doing. "So until they get back we're pretty limited in resources."

I nodded, shutting the door and leaning against the counter, staring out the high windows on the opposite end of the loft. It had been cloudy when we left Chicago, but here in New York City there wasn't a cloud in the sky. I heard the rustle of paper and looked down to see Huey shutting his notebook, letting it flop on the table. I pushed off of the counter, heading for the bathroom.

"Well?" I turned around. Huey was looking at me, shaking his pen in his hand. When I didn't say anything he shrugged. "Do you like it?"

I nodded, shoving my hands in the pockets of my sweatshirt. "Yeah. It's a lot nicer than I expected it to be."

Huey nodded in agreement, resting his hand on the table and letting the pen clatter to the surface. "Me, too. I guess we owe it this Chosen One business, though."

I smiled lightly, crossing my arms. "Is she really the chosen one?"

Huey snorted. "Yeah, right. Cairo made up that name. There is no such thing."

I made a face. "Then why do so many people suddenly act like it's true?"

"Because, it's like I said yesterday." Huey shrugged. "People need someone to believe in. It just so happens that her father was important, and that people typically in her situation would be dead by now." He picked up the pen again, tapping the tip on the edge of the table. "A lot of people look for signs, and they see that as a sign that she's important to this, that she's special. But her being a chosen one, that's all in people's heads. She's just as normal as the rest of us."

"Do you think she's special?" I asked before I could stop myself. Huey shrugged.

"Sure. She's a really good friend of mine. She was special to me before the rest of the world knew she existed."

I nodded, sitting down in the chair beside Huey's foot. I plopped my elbows on the table, resting my chin in my hands and staring at the wall.

"How's your leg?" I asked, breaking the silence. Huey looked impassive.

"Still broken."

"Ah." I lightly tapped his cast. "I couldn't tell."

Huey smirked. "It's hard to notice, isn't it?"

"I guess." I winked. "I'm too busy noticing other parts about you anyways."

He looked away and my smile faded. Feeling stupid I jumped up. "I'm sorry," I told him, already making my getaway. "I was kidding."

"Wait." I turned around again and he was shaking his head. "It's no big deal. It's…" He sighed, looking pained to even have to bring it up. "It's complicated."

I really didn't feel like talking about this. I felt embarrassed enough as it was.

"I don't try to make you uncomfortable," I said quietly. "It just usually ends up that way." I lifted my chin, trying to appear confident. "I don't want to have to hide my feelings."

"I'm not asking you to."

"Well, you don't ask too much of anyone to begin with," I shot back. Huey stared back, his face neutral. "All I'm saying is that I care about you, and it would be nice to know whether I was wasting my time or not."

There it was. I'd said my piece, leaving my words out in the open, unable to be taken back. Huey blinked. I felt like crawling under a table, or letting some hole in the floor swallow me up so I could disappear and avoid dying of embarrassment.

"We've been friends for a while," I went on, my voice softer. "I don't mind us staying that way."

Huey was quiet. I groaned in frustration, balling my hands into fists.

"Huey, come _on_." I could barely keep my voice down. "I understand you're a man, and men are all about keeping their thoughts and feelings to themselves and whatnot. But just tell me something. Please."

Huey straightened up in his chair, examining my face with his eyes. I didn't say anything. The apartment around us was quiet.

"There's a lot of responsibility that has to be considered when you want to lead something," Huey said carefully, as if considering each word before he said it. "It's not that I don't like you. Maya, you're smart, you're funny, you're attractive. You stand up for yourself, and you aren't afraid to be yourself. I really do care about you."

I made a face. "But…"

"But-" Huey went on, giving me a look. "-I'm not looking for a relationship. It's not that I don't think we wouldn't last, because I don't. We're a lot alike." He fumbled with his arm brace before resting it on the table again. "However, we're also involved in a national conflict, and I can't try to focus on that, keeping us all safe, _and _worrying about a girlfriend at the same time. It's just not that simple."

I nodded. That made sense. "What if I said you didn't have to worry about me?"

Huey cracked a smile. "It's easier said than done."

"So, it's not a never," I said, clasping my hands together and balancing on the balls. "More like a…not right now."

Huey paused for a moment, then nodded. "Sure. Something like that."

I was so happy that I leaned down to give him a hug. Instead, as I lifted my head, he happened to turn his head to stare at me, causing our lips to brush.

I jumped back as if I'd been jolted by a bolt of electricity, my eyes wide. He looked just as surprised as I did. We stared at each other for god only knew how long until I became vaguely aware of movement. I looked up to see Jazmine staring at us.

I didn't know why her being there affected me the way it did, but I felt as if the world was crashing down at my feet. I looked back at Huey, who was staring at her face. I was so used to seeing her emotions plastered right on her features that it unnerved me to see her staring back with an expression as cool as marble. She bit her lip, staring from me to Huey and back again.

"The upstairs toilet…it's clogged," She said, her voice even. "I'll find a way to fix it." Her eyes seemed to harden. "I didn't mean to interrupt." She turned on her heel, walking briskly for the stairs. I heard her bare feet pattering upstairs, followed by the slam of the bathroom door.

I sighed, closing my eyes. "I…did not mean for that to happen." I looked to Huey, who was averting my eyes again, his expression also unreadable. Great. All that progress made, and for what? Nothing.

I didn't even bother trying to say anything else. Instead, I went into the downstairs bathroom, locked the door, and cried.

* * *

_Jazmine_

If it wasn't for all of the damn laughter that was coming from downstairs, I never would've left the room.

Only the laughter turned out to be really distracting, which was why I found myself cracking the door open that night, peeking my head out to see what was so funny. I barely had time to let my brain register what was going on before I was being verbally assaulted.

"JAZMINE!"

"Holy-" I jumped, shaking my head. "What the hell?"

The downstairs kitchen table, as well as the table in the living room, were covered in bottles of alcohol. Cindy, Caesar, and Maya were dancing around while Riley was in the kitchen, pouring himself something to drink and not appearing too sober. Cairo was sitting on the couch, watching the entire scene before him, and loud music was coming from some boom-box that looked as it had been unearthed centuries ago. I blinked, rubbing my eyes. I was sure that I was probably still dreaming (I'd fallen asleep on what Maya claimed to be her bed, since she would probably too busy making out with Huey to notice). When I opened my eyes and the scene remained, however, I knew that this was truly real.

"Jazmine!" Cindy giggled, raising her wineglass. "Come join us, babe! Have a drink!"

"I-" I sighed, rubbing my hair, which had came loose as I slept and now rippled down my back. "I'm okay. I'm not much of a drinker."

"Please?" Cindy pleaded.

"Please?" Maya, slightly tipsy on her feet, echoed.

"PUH-LEEEASE?" Caesar and Cairo chorused, snorting into their bottles. I opened my mouth, closed it again, then let out another sigh and slowly descended the stairs. Everyone cheered.

"Jazmine!" Cairo yelled as I sat beside him, his face flushed and his hands already reaching for a full bottle of some red liquid (presumably more alcohol) and an empty glass. "Please! Have a drink."

"Oh, no thanks." I held up my hand. "I just came to visit. I'm not much of a drinker-"

"Oh, come on!" Cairo poured me a glass anyways, making the neck of the bottle clink against the rim of the glass. "This stuff wasn't cheap. I don't want it going to waste."

"Why'd you buy so much?" I asked, taking the glass from him when he waved it towards me with a flourish. "There's enough here to fill a wine cellar."

"Consider it a housewarming gift." He grinned, topping off his glass and clinking mine with his own. "Cheers."

"Drink, niggas, drink!" Riley yelled from the kitchen, causing everyone to cheer and guzzle the contents of their glasses down like there was no tomorrow. I followed suit, raising my glass and tentatively taking a sip.

The first sip was strong and made my throat burn. I coughed and the others laughed. Cairo clapped me on the back and handed me a glass of some fruitier drink to help. The second sip was a little better, followed by a bit more, and before I knew it my glass was empty. Cairo held up another bottle.

"Refill?" He asked. I started to say no, but I had to admit, I did feel a little bit better than I had five minutes ago.

"Sure," I replied, holding out my cup.

The second glass was better. I found that the burning was a bit invigorating. I liked the way that the wine seemed to send shocking sensations to every part of my body; they were everywhere from the tip of my nose to the tips of my fingers and toes. I was so shocked by how good I felt after an afternoon of misery that I laughed aloud with the others. The third glass went down as easy as a can of soda and after glass number four, I stopped counting.

Two hours later I could feel my inhibitions fading away with every sip I took. I giggled at practically everything. How could I _not_? Everything was so damn funny.

"You are all ridiculous," I vaguely heard Huey saying as he came into the room on his crutches, his arm finally out of its sling but still in a brace. "You really don't have anything better to do than get drunk out of your minds?"

"Nope!" Caesar held up his glass, grinning. His head was lopsided. "Don't be such a negative Nelly."

"Negative Nelly?" Cindy cackled, bending over at the middle. "Who _says _that?"

"Well…I do!" Caesar poked out his tongue. "So, there!"

"Ugh. So mature." Maya waggled her finger, her hand shaking. "You know, there aren't that many mature men around here. I wish I lived somewhere else. Like, England. Or Spain."

"Or somewhere else it's hard to get to due to our strict laws?" Cairo joked. I laughed from my place beside him, my head rested on his arm. Maya snorted.

"Basically." She shrugged, taking another sip of wine. "Has _anyone _here been out of the country in their lives?"

"Ohh!" Cindy waved her free hand in the air as if we were in a schoolroom. "I used to go on vacation with my parents in Mexico! And one time we went to the Bahamas!"

"I went to Jamaica to visit family sometimes," Caesar added.

"I was born in Paris," I threw in between gulps of wine. For some reason that fact struck me as funny and I laughed. "My parents were on vacation and I came earlier than planned."

"Ooh! Did you see the Eiffel tower?" Maya asked. I gave her a look.

"I was days old when we left. Forgive me for not remembering."

"Ugh. I would love to meet me a sexy ass French guy," Maya said in a dreamy voice, pursing her lips. I saw Cairo give her a disgusted look.

"What makes you think Caesar and I care about your sexy ass French guys?" He asked, pouring himself more wine. "Can we talk about something else?"

Huey shook his head. "Damn. Do I have to cut you guys off?"

"NO!" Everyone yelled, erupting into giggles. I rolled my eyes, setting my glass down on the table and snuggling back against Cairo. He put his arm around my shoulders. Huey looked at us reproachfully.

"Um, Jazmine?" I heard him ask, his voice wary. "Are you okay?"

I giggled. "Of course I'm okay!" I laughed, poking Cairo's chest. "He thinks I'm not okay."

Cairo laughed. "What?"

"You have," I mentioned, poking his torso. "A very poke-able chest."

"Ooh, for real?" Cindy ran over. "I wanna feel! I wanna feel!"

"Anything for the ladies," Cairo joked, drinking more wine. Everyone burst out laughing. Huey gave us one more look, shook his head, and headed back into his room.

For some reason, I felt a bout of sadness coming on. I guessed that meant it was time to drink more.

"Who wants another round?" I shouted. Everyone cheered, clinking glasses. Minutes turned into another hour, and before I knew it everyone had left the room, save Caesar and Cindy.

"I…do _not…_feel like cleaning this," Cindy moaned from where she was sprawled out on the floor. Cairo waved his hand while Caesar turned off the radio. "It's too much work!"

"Getting up to pee is too much work for you!" Caesar shouted, even though she was right beside him. She screamed, and Cairo and I laughed more. I stretched and yawned.

"Geez, what time is it?" I asked sleepily. Caesar looked around, his dreads flapping over his face, before shrugging.

"Time is for losers," He responded before dropping on the floor, snoring loudly. I sat up a bit to look at him, my eyebrow lifted. After realizing that he wasn't kidding I snorted.

"Oh, my god." I threw a napkin at Cindy, who was a few feet away from him, snoring lightly as well. "I think they're dead."

"They aren't dead, just comatose." Cairo grinned. "I guess that leaves the two of us."

I snorted. "No, that leaves one of you. And you're on my bed for the night, so I suggest you move."

Cairo gave me a look. "What's wrong with your bed?"

"Nothing. I just don't have one." When Cairo continued to look confused I shrugged. "Our room came with one twin, and Maya called dibs. It happens."

"That's not fair to you though." Cairo snapped his fingers. "Tell you what. You can have my bed for the night."

I shook my head, which made me sway. "Whoa." I fell in a pile of giggles onto Cairo's chest again. "That's nice, but I can't kick you out of your bed. I'll be fine here."

"Then I guess we have a problem, because I'm not going anywhere." And, as if to prove his point, Cairo moved me over, plopping his legs down on the sofa and resting his head on the arm. He set me down against his chest again. "Looks like you're stuck with me."

I smiled. "I can think of worse things."

Cairo rolled his eyes. "Of course you can." He pointed to the bottles. "You think you could handle another go?"

I shrugged, sitting up on my elbows and leaning for my glass. "Maybe just a little more."

"A little more, then." Cairo poured us each a half glass of wine before clinking his glass against mine. "To us."

The way he said _us_ made an odd glow fill me. I smiled up at him, taking a sip. "To us."

For a moment we merely sipped our drinks, the silence of the apartment being broken by the occasional honking outside, or a snore here and there from the passed out power couple just a few meters away. I set down my glass, wiping my mouth with the back of my wrist. Cairo set down his as well, studying my face with glazed eyes.

"So, we didn't hear from you all afternoon," He said softly, pushing my hair behind my ear. "What's wrong?"

"What's wrong?" I hiccuped, made a face. "Nothing's wrong."

"Something's wrong. We had Chinese food. Huey got it just for you."

I felt my face darken before I could stop myself. "I bet he did."

Cairo raised an eyebrow. I hid my face in my hands, not liking how it seemed as if he could red straight through my face, right into my heart. When I lifted my head, he was still staring.

"What?" I asked suspiciously. He tipped his head to the side.

"You're sad." It wasn't a question, more like a statement.

"No." I shook my head and sat up, drawing my knees underneath myself. Cairo sat up as well, his arm lying across his knee.

"You're lonely."

His observation rattled me so much that I gasped out loud. I stared at him with wide eyes, my head tilted to the side and my hair lightly brushing my knee. He shrugged.

"Reading you, it isn't hard." He leaned back against the arm rest. "I don't know why people act like it is. It's so easy to get to know you."

I lifted my chin, not liking the thought of being 'easy to read'. "You don't know me."

"Please." Cairo waved his hand. "We've probably had more meaningful conversations than I've had with anyone else in here."

"Prove it," I challenged, tugging on the legs of my shorts. Cairo smiled.

"Fine." He took another sip of wine and cleared his throat before starting. "Despite what you say, you still feel betrayed by almost everyone in this house. You have conflicting feelings with Huey, because you loved him once before and you don't want to admit that. And even if you dont't love him anymore you still have an emotional tie to him. At the same time you resent him."

"That's not true-" I began, but he silenced me with a look.

"You feel misunderstood," he went on, ignoring my dismissive expression. "You feel as if you loved him and he let you down. You don't feel as if he knows that, so you secretely hate him for it. You feel as if no one here can relate to you, and you feel as if you've given everything only to have nothing. You're lonely." His tone darkened. "You wonder when you'll ever feel complete again."

I lifted my head. "You got all of that out of my face?"

Cairo nodded. "Mostly. I pick up on things." He leaned back. "You and I, we're a lot alike. We're perceptive, we're independent, we're loyal to those we love…loyal enough where it practically kills us when they act as if they don't notice we exist. But, we keep loving them." His eyes locked with mine. "We're lonely."

I swallowed, aware of how hard my heart had started beating in my chest. I felt a lump rising in my throat; not because I was thirsty, or even because I had to cry. But because he was right.

"Wow," I whispered, only because I couldn't think of anything else to say. Cairo nodded, leaning closer.

"You want to know something else?" He asked in a quiet voice. I nodded, despite myself.

"I think you're beautiful." He lifted my chin with his fingers when I attempted to look away so that I was forced to stare into his eyes. "I think you're amazingly gorgeous. You make me laugh. You're one of the most understanding, non judgmental people I know. And if anyone deserves to be loved, it's you."

I stared at him, unable to think of anything to say. Shit, I was barely able to _think_. Since I was so incapable of thinking, I settled on what seemed right at the time.

I raised myself onto my knees, placing my hands on either side of his face, and I kissed him.

I could feel the surprise that went through his body; I was halfway surprised at myself. But when he leaned into the kiss, pushing himself up so that he could wrap his arms around my waist, I forgot to be surprised. Instead, I let my hands fall down his neck and shoulders until they were resting on the sharp, protruding angel bones of his back. I felt his own hand migrate to small of my back, the other hand balancing on the sofa so that he could lower me onto the couch. When a particularly loud snore erupted from Caesar after a moment of kissing we broke apart, laughing.

But before I knew it, we were back in each other's arms kissing all over again.

It was overwhelming. I was partially dazed and a part of my mind was whirling out of control, think too much for anything to make sense. But the rest of me (and by the rest of me I meant a good ninety percent) was just happy. Happy to be feeling. Happy to be here, in this moment, at this time.

I was happy to be wanted. And in turn, I wanted him as well.

Before I knew it I'd pulled his shirt off, letting it slip through my fingers to the floor below us. He'd fumbled with my shirt, pulling it over my head and somehow being able to keep kissing me at the same time. I didn't object when he picked me up off the sofa, kicking his shirt aside and carrying me upstairs to the first door, nudging it open with his foot. I didn't fuss when he closed it behind him before lowering me onto his bed.

Which, I had to say, was way more comfortable than Maya's had been. But I could've just been biased.

I tried to drag his head back down to mine, loving the feel of his lips against mine, but he pulled away, staring down into my face. "Are you sure this is what you want?" he asked, his hands on my wrists.

I laughed. This wasn't like me at all, and somewhere in my subconscious I knew that. But I could hardly bother to care about that now. I could see in his eyes how much he wanted this. And I could tell by the way my blood pulsed through my veins, the way I was just wanted him to stop talking and kiss me already, to feel his hands on me…I nodded, pulling my wrists out of his slack grasp and bringing him down to me again.

"It's what I want," I whispered in his ear. From the window behind us, I could hear the blare of a taxi horn. Welcome to New York City. "You're what I want."

It was all he needed to hear, and it was all I needed to say.

* * *

_For those of you that are curious, that's probably the closest to a lemon you'll ever get out of me. I'm the most pathetically prudish 19-year-old on the face of the planet. Just writing this made me burst out laughing at one point or the other._

_Anyways, thanks for reading! Please review :)  
-Kelsey_


	15. Chapter Fourteen

_Sooo...I got my swine flu vaccine today (since my doctor kept naggine me about it), and my arms hurts. I'm not trying to be a baby, especially since this is coming from the girl who has her septum, her nostril, three holes in each ear, her left tragus, and her bellybutton pierced. But still...:rubs arm:_

_Also, thank you to MizzC and DarkSmile for the reviews! Yeah, I'm kind of in between jobs right now so I have nothing but time to write as you can see (well okay, I do have one more final monday, but I have an A already so my professor can bite me). Now, since you all aren't idiots (right..?!), you will understand when I say this chapter has lots of potential to be considered a "filler". At least until the end. Once again, I had fun doing this one (not that you care), even though I had to delete a lot, because you get to a point where there's a fine line between in character and OOC-ness, and OOC-ness makes me want to punch babies._

_Right! So here's chapter Fourteen!_

_Disclaimer: I don't own the Boondocks...still..._

* * *

Old Soul

Chapter Fourteen

_"There will come a time, when you believe everything is finished. That will be the beginning."_  
-_Lois L'Amour_

* * *

_October 29, 2022  
Caesar_

"Wow." I forced myself to look away from the large stack of pancakes in the center of the table, focused on taking small, steady sips of the orange juice I held in my hand. "Those look really disgusting."

"I bet they do, you alcoholic," Huey replied in a smooth voice, not even looking up from his newspaper. He smirked. "They taste fine to me. Right, Hiro?"

"Oh, they're delicious," Hiro chimed in from the opposite end of the table, chewing loudly. As the only other person besides Huey who hadn't participated in our drinking escapade the night before, I bet they were good to him. Just looking at them, however, made my stomach twist in knots. "They're so warm and fluffy and _buttery_-"

"Spare me." I plopped my head down on the table, groaning. "Oh why did I drink so much?"

"Because we're idiots," Cindy mumbled, tracking into the room, not looking much better than I did. "I don't think I ever want to see another bottle of liquor again."

"Well that's too damn bad," Huey said, still not glancing up. "Because you guys left the place trashed last night, and I am not cleaning it up."

"Neither am I," Hiro added. Cindy gave Huey a look.

"But…you're going to _help_ us, right?" She asked hopefully. Huey set down his paper, giving her a look of his own. "Because, that's what friends do? They…help…each other?"

"Like hell I am! No one told you all to go and drink like there was no tomorrow anyways." He lifted the paper up again, still talking. "Do you know how many alcohol related deaths there are per year for young adults between the ages of eighteen and twenty-five? Have you even _seen _the documentaries from-"

"Huey, I'm already hung-over!" Cindy whined, dropping into the chair beside me, holding her head. "That's punishment enough. Please don't add on to it with one of your lectures." She looked at the clock on the wall. "And why is it so _late_ all of a sudden?"

"We're in different time zones now," Hiro said lightly. "We've gotta adjust."

Cindy sniffed the air, and then groaned. "What is that _smell_?!"

"Pancakes," I answered dully.

"Want some?" Huey asked in a mock-friendly voice. Cindy threw her hand over her mouth and jumped up, running out of the room.

"I'm gonna throw up!" She screeched. I shook my head as I heard the bathroom door slam shut before glancing at Huey.

"So, what's on the agenda for today, Mr. Sober?"

"Laughing as you all clean the loft." Huey took a sip of water, glancing at my horrified expression. "What? I said it before, I'm not helping. I didn't mess it up, I won't clean it up."

"But we're sick!" I poked out my lower lip. "Surely you have some sympathy?"

"Yeah, and I almost died in a motorcycle crash, but you all enjoy calling me cripple and hiding my crutches!" Huey shot back. My frown deepened.

"Oh, come on!" I scratched my head. "I only did that once. Riley's the one who tipped your wheelchair over while we were watching the news."

"And Riley's helping you clean as well," Huey pointed out. "So fair is fair."

"But Riley isn't up yet!" I complained. Huey shrugged.

"Well, neither is Maya, or Cairo or Jazmine. Just wait for them to get up and you can all do it." He shook out his paper again. "Stop being such a baby. Hiro and I already cleaned off the kitchen table anyways, so it's not like you've got much to do."

"You can't tell me what to do!" I joked, stomping my foot and crossing my arms. "You ain't my real dad!"

Huey regarded me with a raised eyebrow. "Right…" His watch beeped and he glanced at it before looking back up. "If you want to make it to the furniture place and get the rest of our stuff to avoid sleeping on the floor for the next month until we get more money, I suggest you clean up really fast."

"Man, dat's messed up!" Riley shouted loudly from the top of the stairs, causing me to cover my ears. "I ain' cleanin up no mess! Dat ain't right!"

"If you want to be a responsible adult, then act like one," Huey said in a mild tone. He stood up, grabbing his crutches and starting for his room. "So get to it, cause we've got places to go."

Riley rolled his eyes. "Damn! I hate that nigga!"

Huey made a face. "I'm standing _right here_!"

Riley shrugged. "I know."

I shook my head.

* * *

_Cairo_

Damn. I felt as if I'd been run over by a truck.

I rolled over, trying to tug more of my covers over me, but for some odd reason there was resistance. I tugged harder. Still, nothing was coming my way.

Groggy and frustrated I yanked on the covers so hard that they somehow wrapped themselves around me and I ended up falling to the floor with a loud _thump_. I groaned, rubbing my head and lying on the floor, staring at the ceiling. Sunlight streamed in through the dark curtains, giving everything an odd orange-like glow. I pulled my covers over my head, too lazy to get back on the bed.

At least, I was…until I heard a soft, feminine yawn.

I bolted up, trying not to dwell too much on the massive headache that rushed to my head. I stared towards the opposite side of my bed where I saw a lump covered in a sheet, a cluster of dark curls poking over the top. My jaw dropped.

_Shit_. Either I was still asleep…or I'd had way too much to drink last night. My headache confirmed that the second option was probably my best bet.

"J-Jazmine?" I whispered, aware of the movement I heard around the rest of the house. I didn't want to be too loud for someone to overhear, or this would get really awkward really fast. "Jazmine."

I wrapped my comforter around my waist, climbing back on the bed and reaching, out, poking her arm. "Jazz. Hey."

Jazmine let out a very non-feminine snore and rolled over in response. Which would've been cute and all if it weren't under present circumstances. I groaned, shaking her.

"Jazmine!"

"Huh?" She woke with a start, shaking her head. Her curls fell over the pillowcase beneath her like a fan. She glanced around, taking in the unfamiliar room, the bed…and last of all, me. Her green eyes, moments before clouded with sleep, widened so much that I was surprised they didn't explode.

"Cairo!" She shrieked, reflexively smacking me in the neck. I groaned, falling over on my side. She darted up, clutching the sheet up to her chest with one hand, her expression horrified. She looked ready to have a full blown panic attack. "What-"

"Ssh!" I hissed, putting a finger over my lips. "Do you want the whole city to hear you?"

"Oh, my god." Jazmine shook her head, trying to process the current situation. "What happened?"

"Well." I sat beside her, feeling a wrapper underneath my foot. I pulled it up, examining it. "Either we had a balloon making party, or we followed the directions on the back of the box."

"Oh, my god." Jazmine covered her face with her hands. "We had sex?"

I felt another wrapper under my thigh and I pulled it from underneath me as well. Jazmine smacked her palm across her forehead.

"Oh, my god! We had sex _twice_?"

I groaned, rubbing my hands across my face. "Okay." I breathed, trying to calm my nerves. "This isn't as bad as it seems."

"Oh, my god."

"Please." I looked at her. "Please stop saying that."

Jazmine closed her mouth, looking towards the wall. I sighed again.

"Are you okay?" She looked at me, and I felt awkward. "I mean, that wasn't like…your first time or anything, was it?"

She shook her head, still looking morbidly freaked out. "No." She let out a breath. "But I tend to like to plan these things out. Or at least remember them."

I nodded. That made sense.

"I'm sorry." I flopped against the headboard, shaking my head. "I really didn't mean for this to happen."

Jazmine pulled the cover tighter to her chest. "It's not completely your fault, you know," She pointed out. "I wanted it, too."

"I know, it's just…" I glanced at her. "What do we do now?"

Jazmine swallowed, resting her chin on her knees and staring at the floor. After a moment of silence sat up, running her hand through her hair.

"I guess I'll just sneak out, get back to my room, and we can pretend this didn't happen." She gave me a feebly smile. "I mean, things don't have to change, do they?"

I shook my head. "No. But they usually do."

"Well." She smoothed the covers out with her palm. "From what I remember, you are in love with another woman. And I'm…resentful-" She rolled her eyes. "-towards another man."

"And we both seem to not be having much luck with either of them," I said quietly. After a slight pause, I added, "Maybe I'm tired of waiting for someone who doesn't want me."

Jazmine blinked, biting her lip nervously. I sat up straighter.

"I mean, logically speaking," I pointed out. "I've been into Maya for a good couple of years, and she's never looked twice at me. She only sees me as a friend. And it gets pretty frustrating. And Huey…" I didn't finish, for I could see tears building up in her eyes. "Aww no. Don't cry! I wasn't trying to be-"

"You're not being anything," Jazmine breathed, her shoulders shaking from the tears she was trying to hold in. "It's just…you're right." Her shoulders slumped and she choked back a sob. "You're completely right." She glanced up, the pain in her eyes jolting me. "He's never going to love me, is he?"

"I don't know." Truthfully I didn't know how he felt, but I didn't want to just say anything. "A time might come when he does realize he has feelings for you. But why wait around till then?" I tapped her chin. "Maybe while you're waiting for him to realize he's the right one, you could be having fun with us wrong ones."

Jazmine offered me a tiny smile. "I don't like rebound relationships."

"Then don't think of it as one, since that's not what it is." I scooted over to the edge of the bed, pulling my boxers off the floor and putting them on. I plopped back down beside her. "I really do like you. No, it isn't the way I feel about Maya, but it's still there." I poked her side, trying to make her smile. "And I know you feel the same way about me."

The way that her face colored proved my hypothesis to be correct. I got up and headed for the door, glancing over my shoulder. She still seemed to be deep in thought, her hand still tangled in her hair.

"You and I, I think we could have something." She looked up, her expression unreadable. "I'm not saying it would last. But it might be a nice run." I opened the door, stepping outside so she could get dressed. I stuck my head back in. "Just think about it."

I closed the door behind me, leaving her to her own thoughts.

* * *

_Cindy_

People assume that when you're blonde, you're automatically an idiot. Which I have to admit, amuses me to no end.

Not because it's true. Hell naw that shit ain't right. But it gives us blondes a big advantage, especially when we observe things that no one else catches. Such as, for example, how I managed to catch a glimpse of Jazmine sneaking out of Cairo's room in the same clothes she'd had on yesterday, her hair a mess and her face wearing that expression people usually had after they got some.

Yeah, she was in for it.

"Did you see that?" I whispered to Caesar as she disappeared into the bathroom, no doubt to try and look like she hadn't just been sneaking around with one of our housemates. As much as I loved a good drama, though, I knew better than to start something where Jazmine was involved. She was, after all, one of my closest friends.

"See what?" Caesar looked up from the bottles, some empty, some half full, and others containing barely enough liquid to satisfy an ant. "All I see are all these damn bottles. I don't even _remember _drinking half of this stuff!"

I rolled my eyes, holding open the trash bag so that he could put them inside. And they called _me _the dumb blonde.

I'd even tried to press Cairo for information when he came downstairs, wearing a T shirt and jeans, sporting the same tired expression as Jazmine. "Did you have a good time last night?" I asked indifferently, vacuuming the rug in the center of the living room floor. Cairo just gave me a look.

"What are you talking about, Uh-oh Oreo?" He asked, picking up an empty beer can and tossing it in the trash bag. I stuck out of my tongue as he walked away to hide my frustration.

My increasing curiosity was why, when we all trekked to the furniture store, our first outing in New York, I pulled Jazmine aside while everyone else broke off into separate groups, looking around. Even though she'd showered, put on some different clothes, and managed to tame her hair she still looked tired, which I used as my way of reeling her into conversation.

"Long night last night?" I asked innocently, admiring a nightstand. Jazmine sunk onto a love seat, propping her head on hand and closing her eyes.

"It was a long night for all of us," She mumbled, not even bothering to open her eyes. She tugged the brim of her brown hat over her eyes. I gave her a look, smirking.

"Let me rephrase that…" I lowered my voice. "Long night with Cairo last night?"

Jazmine's eyes shot open so quick it was as if someone were giving away free donuts. She glanced around before narrowing her eyes at me. "How did you know?" She whispered.

"Well, I didn't." I grinned with triumph. Score! "I do now."

"Cindy!" Jazmine groaned, covering her face with her hands. "Cindy, you can't tell anyone! It was a mistake!"

"Girl, quit whining." I sat down on the sofa beside her, patting her knee sympathetically. "When have I ever spilled any of your secrets?"

Jazmine pursed her lips. "All…the damn…time?"

"Okay…since you've been in Chicago?"

"Cindy, we've barely had enough time to trade phone numbers since I've gotten here!" She laughed. "Come on. You mean well, but you always end up telling on people."

"Girl, boo." I waved my hand. "Not true."

"Very true."

"Anyway," I continued, while my pride was still intact. "If you call what happened with you two a mistake, I would hate to see what was on purpose." When she looked up I shrugged. "All I'm saying is that you could have way worse mistakes than Cairo."

Jazmine sighed. "But I don't have feelings for him," She said, her voice strained. I lowered my head so that I was closer to her face.

"Are you sure about that?" I asked softly. She glanced over at me.

"I…I'm not too sure about anything right now," She admitted. When I remained silent she went on. "Cairo…he said he'd be interested in going out with me."

I whistled. "Damn. Girl, what's stopping you?"

"Cindy!" Jazmine smacked her hand over her forehead. "I just can't…" She lowered her voice so much that I had to strain my ears just to make out what she said. "I still have feelings for Huey."

I stared at her before shrugging. "So?"

"So?" Jazmine shook her head. "How can I make you under-" She snapped her fingers. "I mean, it's like you and Caesar. You both have been in love with each other for forever. What if one morning you woke up and you realized you had to start over?" She rubbed her eyes. "I don't know if I can do that."

"If you do peer back into your memory," I responded lightly, pulling at a loose thread on the arm of the chair. "You'll remember that we did break up for a certain amount of time."

"And you completely fell apart," Jazmine pointed out. I stuck out my tongue.

"Damn, did you have to be so-"

"What? _Honest_?" Jazmine teased. I punched her in her arm. "Ouch!"

"It's hard, getting away from what's familiar," I went on, ignoring her. "But Jazmine…Cairo's had his eye on Maya for years. Any living person could see that. And he's willing to give you two a chance. He doesn't mind stepping out of what he's familiar with for you."

"Well." I lifted my chin. "I think I'm a bit more emotionally fragile than Cairo is."

"I _know_ you are." Jazmine gave me a horrified look. "But I mean, just because you two start dating, it doesn't mean you have to be together forever. It could just be for fun."

Jazmine nodded, tugging at her jeans. "You do have a point," She admitted. I pat her knee, standing up.

"Now, let's go find you a bed." I gave her a sly grin. "Or, you could just save us all money by sharing Cairo's-"

It was Jazmine's turn to punch me. "Shut up." She grinned and we linked arms, heading off to find the others.

* * *

_Huey_

Since everyone was busy recovering from their hangovers and cleaning the entire place, it wasn't too surprising when everyone opted for passing out in their beds when we got back home later that evening. It didn't bother me any, due to the fact that I was in my own Vicadin induced state of grogginess. I was usually opposed to the use of pain medication when pain was the body's natural way of telling it that something wasn't right, but who was I kidding? This stuff was amazing

I was sprawled out on my own bed, reading. When I heard a knock on the door I closed my book, sitting up. "Yo."

The door opened and Riley shuffled in, looking like he wanted something. I sighed. "What?"

"Man, can I have sum money?" He asked. I threw up my arms.

"For _what_?" I asked. "We just got here! What could you possibly need?"

"I need bling ta attract me sum bitches!"

I blinked. "You sure made your case." I eased back onto my pillow, picking up my book. "No."

"Dang, nigga!" Riley stomped his foot. "Why you gotta be like dat?"

"Be like what, sane?" I shook my head. "Riley, if you just get a job it'll be a lot easier for you to buy what you want. Doesn't it bother you that you're twenty always asking to borrow money?"

Riley made a face. "Should it?"

I started to reply, but there was another knock on the door. Maya poked her head in, looking disgusted.

"Huey, Riley threw up in the upstairs bathroom and stuck a note that said 'LOL smiley face' beside it," She said. Riley sucked his teeth.

"Nigga, prove it."

"You wrote 'Big Reezy, 02 stand up all day erry' day' on the mirror with my lipstick!" Maya wailed. She stared at me. "I am _not _cleaning up Riley's throw up!"

"Riley, that's disgusting." I gave him an incredulous look. "All the bling in the world won't get you a woman if you can't even act like you got some kind of sense."

"D'ere you go, rattin a nigga out." Riley crossed his arms over his chest, glaring at Maya. "And I thought we wuz niggas."

"And I thought I'd never have to worry about you using my lipstick." Maya stuck out her tongue, walking out the door. "Gayyyyy."

That was probably the worst insult to say to Riley. He stormed out after her, slamming my door behind him. "Nuh uh! Nigga I ain't gay! I don' be into dat kissy kissy wit another man shit! Hell naw!"

I sighed, opening my book again, only to slam it shut a minute later when there was another knock. _"What_?" I snapped impatiently. Cairo opened the door.

"Damn, man," He said, his eyebrows drawn together. "Why you mad tho?"

"I'm not." I rolled my eyes, tossing the book aside. "I thought you were here to report more throw up or stolen lipstick, or to steal my crutches and try to sell them to handicapped homeless people."

Cairo leaned against the doorframe, laughing. "Riley did that?"

"Not yet." I held up a sheet of paper. "I found his list on the kitchen counter. It was right underneath "Grind them into firewood and roast marshmallows over them" and "reshape them into pimp canes and sell them to men in purple suits"." I threw the list aside. "I guess those ideas are easier than just getting a job for money."

"Well." Cairo pretended to contemplate the importance of canes. "Pimps do love their pimp canes. I guess they could learn to keep their pimp hand strong, though."

I snorted. "So, what's going on?"

"Well." Cairo closed the door. "You gotta minute?"

"I have nothing but time." I sat up. "Sadly. I feel so useless."

"You ain't useless." Cairo plopped down on the foot of my bed. "Just…physically impaired."

I grimaced. "That's a nice way to put it."

"Well." Cairo stretched before handing me a pad with a message on it. "Some guy, Terrance Parker, called from DC who's with the resistance. He wants-"

"-us to go to a protest next weekend, yeah, I got it already." I held up another note with my own. "He's desperate for us to show up. Says a lot of people have been asking about us."

"You know," Cairo remarked jokingly, although his voice held a darker tone to it. "Usually, the more popular a resistance member gets, the more likely they are to get killed."

I rolled my eyes. "Why would you remind me that?"

"Just saying." Cairo gave me a mock salute, heading for the door. "Well, my job is done-"

"Wait." He spun around at the sound of my voice, his hand dropping. I felt stupid even asking, but the words came out before I could remind myself of all the reasons to keep them inside. That's what happened when one was on pain medicine; their mouths moved faster than their minds.

"You and Jazmine. What's going on?"

Cairo stared at me for a moment before shrugging. "We're friends." He gave me a knowing look. "Just like you and Maya."

I would've accepted his response…if he wouldn't have included me and Maya in it. What did we have to do with him and Jazmine's friendship? It was something in the way he said it that made my eyes narrow. "Are you implying that there's something going on between Maya and I?" I asked, trying not to sound too annoyed. "Because if you are, you're wrong."

Cairo gave me a pointed look. "Right." He opened the door. "Well, until you're willing to be honest about that then I'll give you as much as you give me."

"Hold up." I sat up, glaring daggers at him. "What is _that _supposed to mean?"

"What do you think?" Cairo asked, rolling his eyes. "Damn. If you're not going to be honest with me at least be honest with yourself." He closed the door behind him.

I stared after him, confused. It was only after I lay back down that I realized he'd never given me a straight answer.

* * *

_October 29, 2018  
Jazmine _

_It was almost four, and daddy was always home by four. Always. Rain, snow, sun, traffic, he would be there, a cup of Grande sized, double whip mocha latte in one hand for me and his briefcase in the other. Most the time he looked tired, but sometimes he was up to making dinner with me, the radio on full blast. Other times we'd simply sit on the couch and watch something that didn't relate to the news, because the news was too depressing. Once in a while we went out to dinner, and on the weekends we went downtown to see a movie, or simply walk around. Dad and I were alike in that way where we didn't have to be doing much of anything to have fun as long as the conversation was good and our cups of coffee were endless. I'd gotten my caffeine addiction from him, which I didn't mind. We didn't look very much alike because I'd looked much more like my mom, but at least we had something in common._

_So when four pm came and instead of him on the doorstep there were two officers, I knew something was wrong._

"_How may I help you?" I asked, keeping my voice as polite as possible. Over one of the officer's shoulders I could see the old Freeman house across the street, occupied by a brand new family. My dad and I had been over once for dinner when they'd first moved in, but when their daughter a year younger than me had shown me her room, I'd broke down into tears. I'd still been able to see the exact placement of Huey and Riley's things, from their beds, to their desks, even to the tiny corner of a Playboy magazine hidden under Riley's bed. I tore my eyes away, instead focusing on the taller officer's face. He looked pained._

_I glanced at the other one, then back again. Before I knew it my knees were shaking and I was clutching the doorknob for dear life. "Please don't have bad news," I begged, the sense of impending doom falling over me like a veil. The officers exchanged looks, then looked at me sadly._

"_We're sorry, Ms. Alston," The taller one said. "But your father-"_

_I'd sank down to my knees, the tears already coming._

"_-He's gone."_

_

* * *

_

_Maya_

"I still can't believe no one's owning up to the bra."

I noticed Jazmine, who had been laying flat on her back staring at the ceiling, start. "Huh?"

I rolled my eyes. Here I was, making an effort to break the tension in the room, and she wasn't even paying attention. "The bra?" When she continued to look confused, I rolled over so that I was on my stomach, staring at her from my bed.

"Huey found a bra under the sofa tonight after dinner," I informed her, trying not to laugh. "You should've seen his face."

"Really." Jazmine didn't seem too enthusiastic. "What did he say?"

"That's the funny part. His pain medicine is making him crazy. He went "Wow, this is where I left it" and stuck it on his head." I smiled. "You should've seen it. I doubt he'll ever do anything like that again for the rest of our lives."

Jazmine offered me a small smile before staring back up at the ceiling.

"And what's even funnier is that there's only three women, yet none of us are claiming the bra," I went on, picking at my thumbnail. "I mean, I know it's not mine, and Cindy swore it wasn't her's…and it's not yours, right?"

Jazmine shrugged. "Nah."

"So, maybe it was here from the last people?" I rolled back over. "Who knows."

There was a steady downpour going on outside, the wind throwing it against our window in sheets. I went back to my magazine.

"I'm just glad we don't have to get into the normal swing of things until Monday," I breezed on, ignoring Jazmine's lack of commentary. "And even then it's Halloween, so nothing will be going on anyways. Man, I still remember when trick-or-treating was legal." I glanced up. "Do you remember?"

Jazmine nodded. I rolled my eyes, sitting up.

"Alright. When are you going to stop being mad at me?"

Jazmine looked at me with perplexed eyes. "I'm not mad at you," She said softly. I gave her a glance.

"Fine." I kicked off my socks, giving her a challenging look. "Then what's bothering you?"

Jazmine looked at me with tired eyes. "Nothing. Forget it."

"A-ha! See?" I pointed at her. "You _are _mad at me!"

"Oh, my god." Jazmine flopped back down against her pillows. "Do you ever think of anyone but yourself?"

I glared at her. "What?"

"You. Maya, everything I do, say, smell, breathe, and feel isn't about you." Jazmine punched at her pillow, turning away from me and lying down again. "It's not about you, so don't worry about it."

"Then-" I stared at her back, curious. "What's it about?"

She was quiet for a split second. Then, "My dad died four years ago today."

I sucked in an audible breath. Jazmine glanced over her shoulder at me.

"Okay?"

I stared back, nodding slowly. She turned around again, settling down. I leaned against the headboard of my bed.

"My mom and my sister died on the same day," I found myself saying aloud. Jazmine didn't move. "April 1, 2018. We were all supposed to be going to the coast for the week because it was my spring break. But they had up one of those road blocks-"

"-The religious checkpoints," Jazmine interjected softly. She shifted. I nodded, even though she couldn't see it.

"Right. Well, my mom and my sister were Christians, but I'd declared myself to be "searching", so I refused to wear those dumb crosses. I usually wore it if we were going on long distances, but I'd forgotten to wear it that day. So when the officer got to our car he was smoking a cigarette, and he already seemed kind of mad-"

"They're always mad," Jazmine said. I licked my lips.

"Well, he wasn't trying to hear that. He was saying how I was breaking the law, how I was a hindrance to our entire nation. My mom, she got mad. She told him not to talk to me that way." I sat on my hands to keep them from shaking. "When she said that, he got really angry. He…he threw his cigarette in the car. It was still lit."

Jazmine bolted up, staring over her shoulder at me with sympathetic eyes. I looked away, afraid I'd start crying.

"My sister's door, it was busted, so mine was the only one that would unlock," I went on. The rain seemed to grow louder. "I got out and I tried to help my sister out. Her name was Kat." I sniffed. "Anyways, just when she started to crawl after me-"

Jazmine's eyes widened. "He didn't."

I nodded, my eyes stinging. "He shot her."

Moments later Jazmine was on my bed, her hands resting on my thigh. I tried to wave off the tears that were brimming in my eyes but they started falling regardless.

"There was no time to get to my mother. The officer tried to get me but I ran away, and by that time I guess he wasn't too interested in catching me since he'd taken out his anger on _someone_. But, their faces…You could see them pressed against the car windows as the flames ate it." I swallowed again. "Kat hadn't been dead yet, and I think it was her face that hurt me the most. She was ten. She was supposed to be eleven on the seventeenth." I looked up through my tears. "She was only ten, she was the law abiding Christian…and I got them all killed."

"It's not like that," Jazmine said, her own eyes full. "It wasn't your fault."

"It was!" I wailed. Before I knew it we were hugging, both of us sobbing into each other's shoulders. "Every night I go to bed, I see their faces. They're all I dream about. I feel like I abandoned them. I feel like I should be dead, not them." I lifted my head. "Do you know how it feels, knowing that you're supposed to be dead?"

Jazmine nodded slowly. "I do, actually." When I looked at her expectedly, she rocked back on her heels. "I had a boyfriend back in Woodcrest."

I raised an eyebrow, dabbing at my eyes with my sleeve. "Really."

"Yeah. His name was Neil." Jazmine smiled through her tears, even though it only lasted for a moment. "We both went to the same school. His parents were gone, and both of us were basically all we had. I was twenty, he was twenty-seven." She took a breath before she went on. "He was Catholic, like me, but he thought this whole religious cleansing business was crap, also like me. He was the first guy I'd loved in a long time." Her face took on a different look and I couldn't help but envy her for it.

"It must have been nice," I remarked. She looked at me. "Finding someone who loved you back and all."

"It was," Jazmine said evenly, tracing the outline of her sock with her index finger. "Until I got him killed."

"How'd that happen?"

"It was the day after Valentine's Day," Jazmine said, lifting her head. "I was leaving his house, because I had to go to school. After I left…well…" Her face turned pink. "It's kind of weird-"

"Oh, come on." I poked her shoulder. "It's just us."

"Right. Well." Jazmine's face grew pinker. "Apparently a cop came to his house to investigate some complaint the neighbor had. They said there was evidence that he was harvesting marijuana in his basement."

"No!"

"Yeah. But his neighbor was an anti, so I'm pretty sure he was hoping the cop would find something to get him in trouble." Jazmine shrugged her shoulders. "And he did."

"Well?" I pressed gently. "What did he find?"

Jazmine seemed to be gathering her courage before she answered. "He found a pair of my underwear."

My jaw dropped.

"That's right. I got my boyfriend in trouble because pre-marital sex is illegal." Jazmine shook her head, sighing. "They actually check your marital status in the state records, and his said that he was single. They asked him who the underwear belonged to, and he wouldn't tell them-"

"-So they killed him for failure to comply." I whistled. "That's cold. How did you find out?"

"I had to look it up in the databases which took forever," Jazmine admitted. "Luckily my parents had lawyer friends that I'd grown up knowing, and they helped me." She sighed. "I guess it's been hard on both of us."

"It's been hard on us all," I said, feeling depressed. "Your family's dead. My family's dead. Hiro just lost his parents. Riley and Huey's family's gone. The only people's parents who are safe are Caesar and Cindy's." I lay back down. "Somehow though, I think they understand what we're going through."

Jazmine nodded in agreement.

"Cairo and I have been good friends since I got here," I told her. She looked at me. "He's so sweet. And he always acts like nothing bothers him, but he probably had it the worst out of all of us."

"Why do you say that?" Jazmine seemed to stiffen.

"Well, his mother was in an abusive relationship most of his childhood," I said, my voice even lower now that I was telling someone else's business. I knew that she wouldn't blurt something this personal out at our next meal or anything. "His father had left when he was too young to remember him. He had a younger half brother, his name was Ezra. Anyways, Cairo tried to take his brother and himself to their grandmother's house a couple times, but she always sent them back no matter how obvious it was that they were getting hit, too. Cairo tried to get her to leave them, but they didn't have much money so the boyfriend was basically paying all their bills. Finally, about two years before I got here, Cairo and his mom's boyfriend got into a fight after he hit her. His mom, she tried to get them to stop, but her boyfriend pushed her down the stairs." I paused. "So, Cairo got a gun from where he had it hidden in his room. And he shot the guy."

Jazmine's eyes were transfixed on my face, the tears flowing freely from her face. I could feel my own cheeks getting damp. "Anyway," I went on, trying not to cry any harder than I already was. "His mom, she freaked out. She was never too sane, even Huey said so. So when she saw that Cairo had killed her boyfriend, she went after him.

Cairo, he tried to take his brother to a shelter, but they wouldn't let them stay there because they didn't have identification showing that they were religious. So, Cairo and Ezra went to their grandmother's house one more time." I stopped, taking a deep breath. "She was really a bitch. She had the most money out of anyone in their family, but she refused to help. She saw what was happening to her daughter, but she just turned the other cheek. And when Cairo begged her to take them in, she said that she'd only take one of them. For some reason, she liked their mom's boyfriend, regardless of what he did to them. And Ezra was his son, so she chose him."

We were both silent, letting the rain fill the void of silence between us. "What happened?" Jazmine finally asked. I gave her a sad look.

"He lived on the streets for the next year. No one would take him in, and he didn't have any money to support himself because it was really hard to get jobs at that time. He thought about getting into a gang, but backed out at the last minute and they almost killed him for it. You should look at his chest if you ever see him without a shirt on," I added. "You can still see the scar from where someone stabbed him." Jazmine's faced turned red all over again. "Luckily though, Huey came back. I don't know what would've happened if Huey wouldn't have come to Chicago. I'd probably be dead, Cairo would probably be gone. It's hard now, but it probably would've been even worse if we were all fending for ourselves right now." I picked at a scab on my wrist. "But Cairo, he hasn't had contact with his brother since. His grandmother's house was demolished a few years back after they found her dead, and no one knows where he is."

Jazmine looked ready to cry all over again. I rolled over, staring up at her. "At least I know what happened to my parents," I said aloud. "I know everyone's fate. But to not know? To have to wonder like that, every day of your life…it's got to be hard." I offered Jazmine a smile. "You make it harder and harder for me to dislike you."

Jazmine snorted, getting up and flopping back onto her own bed, already turning away from me. "Likewise."

I rolled onto my back, pulling my covers over me and cutting off the light. "Jazz?"

"Hmm?"

"I'm sorry about your dad."

There was a slight pause. I was sure she was trying not to cry. "Thanks. I'm sorry about your family."

I nodded. "Truce?"

There was another silence, this one longer, followed by a sigh.

"Truce."

* * *

_Jazmine_

It was after one in the morning when I woke up with a start, bolting up so quick that I gave myself whiplash. I rubbed my neck, wincing. Across the room, Maya was still sleeping peacefully. I lay back down, listening to the persisting rain.

I always did my best thinking at night. Maybe it was because the world around me was resting, and I could think in peace. Then again we were in the city that never slept now, so that wasn't exactly the case. However, the house was quiet, my (excuse me, our) room was quiet, and luckily, Maya didn't snore.

I thought of my dad. We'd went to the coast for a week the summer before he died, just me, him, and the miles of ocean and beach that had stretched out beyond us. We'd had our own beach house that overlooked a rocky cliff all to ourselves, our silences drowned out by the sound of the ocean and the ever present seagulls. I wondered if the house was still there. I thought of Maya's family, and wondered how everything would've turned out for them if they would've made it to the ocean.

What I thought of the most, to my surprise, was Cairo. Funny, strong, brave Cairo who had let me punch him in the face when I first got here. Cairo who I shared most of my silences with while everyone else was out working. Cairo who could pick up on every little thing about me just by looking into my eyes.

Huey, he could do that, too. The only difference between them was that Cairo wanted to, whereas Huey saw it as a chore. I wonder if he thought it was a burden to bring me here. I wondered if I thought I was a burden.

I wonder if Cairo had remembered his horrible childhood when I hit him. I wondered if I'd ever be able to forgive myself if he had.

Before I could think twice I picked up my pillow and threw back my covers, stepping onto the cool hardwood floor. It was lightning outside now along with the rain, thunder shaking the ground in its wake. Yup. A true thunderstorm.

I stepped out of our room, gently shutting the door behind me before walking two doors down, lightly tapping on the closed door with my knuckles. At first I was sure that I hadn't knocked loud enough and that he was probably too deep in his sleep to hear me, but I felt him stirring before I saw him. The door opened, exposing a sleepy Cairo, who was rubbing his eyes, wearing nothing but a pair of boxers.

Maybe it was Maya had told me about him that made me see him in a new light. Or maybe she'd awakened what I'd never seen before. I knew that I loved Huey, even if I wasn't willing to admit. Even when I had been back in Woodcrest assured of his death and still dating other men, I'd still loved him. That wouldn't change.

But maybe the others were right. Maybe it was time to give other people a chance, even if it was just for the time being. It might've all ended tomorrow. Maybe we'd end up together forever. But how was I going to know if I didn't try?

"Jazmine?" Cairo looked confused, but at least he wasn't complaining about me waking him up. He stared down at me and I looked back up at him. I could tell he was waiting for me to say something.

A crack of lightning flashed through the sky, temporarily lighting up the entire house. The eerie blue light came and gone, but not before it had given me a good look at Cairo's chest. The scar, dark and angry looking, ran right across the left side of his chest, straight over his heart. I didn't know how I never noticed it before.

I didn't have anything to say; instead, I slowly lifted my hand up, placing it against his scar. The scar itself stood up, prominent against his complexion, but the rest of his skin was smooth. Underneath my palm I could feel his heartbeat as strong and sure as he was. I looked back up at him as he studied my face, his own expression calm. When I hugged him, he didn't flinch. And when I picked my pillow up from the floor, still staring into his eyes, he stood aside and let me come in with no comment.

Maybe I'd liked the nighttime the best because it exposed people and their true intentions. Maya wasn't ever supposed to be an enemy, she was my ally. Huey, he would always have my heart, but he wasn't even aware of it. Cairo, like me, was lost. Incomplete.

Lonely.

I lay on the bed beside him, resting my head on his chest. We were both wide awake now, yet silent. Without making a sound Cairo took my hand in his and we lay side by side, waiting for this storm, like all the others, to pass.


	16. Chapter Fifteen

Filler chapter filler chapter filler chapter. Bite me. I was job hunting today. Just kidding (or am I?)

Lessee...thanks to DarkSmile, MizzC, Sweetiepye2, Darelle the Author, Koki723, and TRIGGER MIKE THE GREAT for the reviews. Like I've already said this chapter doesn't do much to add to the plot of the story...but um, whatever. Hahaha.

Disclaimer: I don't own the Boondocks.

* * *

Old Soul

Chapter Fifteen

_"Chin up. Shoulders back. Walk proud. Strut a little. Don't lick your wounds; celebrate them. The scars you bear are the signs of a competitor. You're in a lion fight. Just because you didn't win doesn't mean you don't know how to roar."_

_-James Pickens, Jr._

* * *

_November 1, 2022  
Jazmine_

It was early as hell, and all I wanted to do was fall back asleep, but I knew I had to move fast.

I slowly scooted out from underneath Cairo's arm, feeling a slight pang when he shifted over, as if somehow trying to find me even in his subconscious. Unlike most the people I'd come across in my lifetime he was neither a light or heavy sleeper; he was a convenient sleeper, a term I'd come up with as I'd lay beside him the night before. He'd commented on what a loud snorer I could be yet he'd completely slept through the city drilling into the sewer outside the apartment for five hours straight. A tsunami could probably hit New York City and he'd sleep right through it, but let someone drop as much as a pen and he'd wake up.

Which was exactly what happened. I'd almost made it to the door and suddenly my knee was connecting with his dresser. I swore, holding my knee and bouncing up and down on one foot. As soon as I heard him shifting behind me I knew it was all over.

"Jazmine?" Cairo yawned, his eyes blinking a few good times before settling on me. "What are you _doing_?"

I let go of my knee, blinking back the tears that had risen up. "Nothing. Just, you know." I struck a pose, leaning on his dresser in what I hoped to be a casual way. "Hanging out."

He glanced at the digital clock on his nightstand. "At four fifty-one in the morning?"

I straightened. "Yup."

"Jazmine." Cairo rolled his eyes, flopping back down and putting his pillow over his head. "If you're going back to your room to act like you've been there the whole time _again_, please. Be my guest." His yawn was muffled. "It's really not that serious where you gotta sneak around."

Maybe he was a bit more alert than I'd thought. "Thank you!" I whispered loudly. My fingers stretched for the doorknob.

"Jazmine?"

"Huh?" I looked up to see my pillow flying towards me and I caught it. "Thanks."

Cairo grunted in response, flopping back over. Also unlike everyone else I'd grown up around, he was nowhere close to being a morning person, which suited me just fine being that I was lucky if I woke up before eleven. I tip toed out the door, shutting it softly behind me.

* * *

_July 29, 2015  
Cairo_

_When he wanted to feel better about himself, he brought dinner home._

_Always._

_My mother had been dating Jerome since I'd been four, just a year and some change after my dad had left, and somehow I knew him better than she did. Then again, she overlooked his alcoholism, his temper, and his abusive tendencies because he was the one who wound up paying our bills, so that shouldn't have been as surprising as it was._

_Jerome, much like a woman's menstrual cycle, had a cycle of his own. At the beginning of the month he was cheerful, patient, and didn't bother me much. Around the fifteenth, he started getting antsy. He'd make snide comments about my mom's cooking or cleaning abilities. He'd ask Ezra why he acted like such a baby, even though he was only seven. If he was feeling really down, he'd start asking why I didn't do more around the house to help my mom and him, how come I just stayed in my room with my headphones on, or was always going to stay over at Duey's house. There'd be arguments but they'd resolve easily, usually ending with him storming off to "cool down", or him just ignoring everyone altogether._

_By the twenty-fifth, he was back to drinking, back to taking everything as a personal attack. He'd shout at mom for laughing too loudly at the TV, or call me an ungrateful nigga, or tell Ezra he'd never amount up to anything, just like his mother. Arguments would lead to more drinking, more fighting, until finally it would turn physical. Mom usually got the blunt of it, but sometimes he'd get to Ezra and I if we didn't run quick enough. By the time it got to being as common as it was, we'd learned to run pretty fast._

_"Cairo!" I heard him snap up the stairs, already irritated. I glanced at the calendar of the wall of the room that me and my brother shared despite the fact that we lived in a four room house. It was the twenty-ninth. Damn it. "Get yo ass downstairs and eat!"_

_"I ain't hungry!" I shot back, cracking my door open. He'd been gone a whole week and it had probably been the best week of my life, which made me even grumpier since I'd been filled with hope that he wouldn't come back. I heard my mom's voice calling up the stairs._

_"Honey, you should come sit with us!" She always sounded cheerful like she didn't know what was coming. "Jerome got it just for us!"_

_I rolled my eyes. How many times had I heard that before? Instead of replying I closed my door back, putting my earphones back on and continuing to do my homework at my desk. After fifteen minutes my door suddenly flew open._

_"You too good to eat my food?" I had to take my earphones out to hear his words, but I was so used to him that I read his lips with no effort. "I come home, try to cook a nice dinner so that we can eat as a family, and this is how you repay me? By being selfish and ungrateful?"_

_"Jerome-" My mother started from behind him, but he held up his hand as if to strike her. His other hand held on to a bottle of liquor, three-fourths empty. _

_"Was I talkin to you or yo bastard son?" He turned to face me again, snarling. "Now. You think you too good for this family?"_

_"What family?" I snapped, not being able to help myself. "Nigga, you ain't my dad-"_

_The bottle came flying at me so quick I barely had time to move. It hit the wall over my bed, sending glass and liquid flying through the air. I dropped my arm, staring back up at him. I was so angry I could barely breathe. Jerome's own eyes hardened._

_"What." He stepped into the room, glaring down at me and making a face that I realized was supposed to be mocking my own. That made me even madder."You mad? Nigga, you mad? You gon' do something?" I didn't say anything. "You gon sit thur' like a bitch?"_

_"Jerome-"_

_"Shut the fuck up!" He yelled, spinning around and slapping my mom across the face. She cried out, falling back against the banister that led downstairs. "Ain't no one talkin' to you!"_

_"Don't _touch_ her!" I roared, pushing myself up to my feet. My jaw was still bruised from where he'd gotten me the day before he'd left a week back. Nevertheless I faced him, my chin lifted in the air. He laughed._

_"Yo ass think you can do somethin'?" He said over my mom's crying. I was glad that Ezra had went home with his friend and was staying for dinner so he wouldn't have to witness this. "Yo ass wanna take on a real man?"_

_"You ain't no real man," I said from between clenched teeth. My hand curled into a fist. "Real men know not to touch a woman." I stared past him to my mom, then back. "If you was so real you would've learned that by now."_

_Jerome snarled, lunging for me. I didn't have enough time to react so he crashed into me, sending us into Ezra's nightstand. My mom screamed as he gripped my throat, still laughing. I shoved him off, knocking him back into the wall and running out the door, grabbing my jacket off the banister by the stairs and running down them. "Cairo!" I heard my mom scream, followed by Jerome's heavy footsteps._

_I ran out the front door, slamming it shut behind me. I didn't stop running until I was blocks away, the sun long gone out of the sky and the streetlights beaming over my head like spotlights. I finally leaned on one after what seemed like forever, catching my breath._

_I hated him. I _hated_ him. I wished he would just go die somewhere and leave us the hell alone._

_"Cairo?"_

_I jumped, my eyes falling on this girl from my history class. "Cassie?"_

_"Hey." She took a step towards me, her eyes filled with concern. Her short brown hair was in braids. "What's wrong?"_

_I'd had a crush on her the first day summer school had started over a month ago. All I'd wanted was for her to talk to me, and now I was wishing that she'd just leave me alone. I couldn't see her right now, not while I was like this. What if I wasn't any different from Jerome like I enjoyed thinking? What if I was just as bad, only it hadn't come out yet?_

_What if inflicting abuse on others was contagious?_

_"I gotta go," I said abruptly, walking past her so quickly that I didn't have time to dwell on how her face crumpled, how I'd probably hurt her feelings. If that was all of her I hurt then we were on good terms. _

_"Cairo!" I heard her call after me, but I ignored her. Instead I headed towards the park in south side, wishing that I'd at least brought my backpack with me so that I wouldn't have to sneak back in the house the next morning to get it for school. I shook my head, staring up at the sky._

_I wondered if this would ever end._

* * *

_November 1, 2022  
Maya_

"Whoa! Did you see this?"

It was seven in the morning and I'd roused myself out of the bed, trying not to wake up Jazmine. I'd come downstairs, poured myself some orange juice, and decided to surf Hiro's laptop in the living room until everyone else got up. After all, I'd wanted to find out what was going on with Tiger Wood's old self and his latest mistress. Ever since 2009 it seemed like he'd just went downhill from there, and it made for some good reading.

Only, what I'd stumbled across was way more interesting.

"What?" Huey, the only other person up in the house (as usual), came up beside me and plopped down, staring towards the screen. "What's up?"

I turned the screen so that he could see it. He stared down at it, his eyes narrowing before widening all over again. He snatched the laptop out of my grasp, tugging it into his lap.

"Hey!" I scooted closer to him so that I could read over his shoulder.

"_'Jazmine Alston Wanted for Treason_?'" Huey and I stared at each other before looking back at the screen. "You have got to be kidding me." He continued to read aloud. _"The whereabouts of Jazmine Elizabeth Alston, 22, of Woodcrest, Illinois are being re-examined after a source has claimed that her recorded death was inaccurate. Ms. Alston's car was seen plummeting off the Ed Wuncler Bridge on the evening of September 9, and rescuers at the scene reported no sign of her body. However, one unnamed police officer said that he'd spotted what appeared to be her running away after officers came to her house searching for her."_ He tore his eyes away from the screen. "Damn it!"

"Look at this," I said, pointing to the screen. "They're trying to say that she committed treason by correspondence with American hate groups such as…" Huey and I stared at each other. "The resistance."

Huey groaned, handing me the laptop back. "How did they find out about this? Wait, what am I talking about? It's obvious how they did!" He shook his head. "All these damn people calling her the chosen one, and Duey, and…where is she now?"

"Sleeping, like everyone else in the house?" I shrugged. "She's in our room."

"Okay." Huey took a deep breath. "Alright. This is what we're going to do." He looked at me. "We're going to-"

"-I can get her if you-"

"-keep this to ourselves-"

"-want."

We looked at each other, our eyebrows knotted together in the same expression of confusion. "What?"

"Huey, we can't just not say anything." I tapped the screen. "They want her for _treason_. She needs to know to watch her back!"

"We already watch our backs." Huey's eyebrows were knotted together in deep concentration. "There's no reason to have her worrying about it right now, not when there's no big indication of them being on to where we are." He closed the laptop. "If it gets worse, then we'll tell her."

"By then they might have her cornered!" I set the laptop down on the sofa beside me. "Do you even hear yourself right now?"

"I know what I'm doing." Huey looked at me. "Trust me."

I hated those two words, because soon as someone said them to me, my intuition told me that they didn't have a clue what the hell they were doing. I didn't want that to be the case for Huey.

So when I went, "Okay," I response, I secretly knew that Jazmine would be finding out about this a lot sooner than he'd planned.

* * *

_March 3, 2016  
Cairo_

_"I told you, you dumb bitch! That ain't how I want you to cook it!"_

_"Well, if you want your food cooked a certain way do it yo damn self!"_

_I was sick of this. It was really getting old, especially when you had a SAT to study for and all your mother did was argue with her boyfriend. I tossed my book aside, climbing up and starting for the door._

_"Don't do it, man," My eight-year-old brother Ezra said from his own bed, sitting up. His eyes, probably the only thing we had in common, were big as moons. "Just leave them alone. You remember what happened last time."_

_I shook my head, tugging my T shirt down over my arm. "I don't even care, man." I put my hand on the doorknob. "I just don't know how much more of this I can take."_

_"Cairo!" Ezra stood up as well, starting towards me. He looked ready to cry. "Just-"_

_"Stay here," I commanded, opening the door a crack and closing it behind me. I crept down the hallway before reaching the stairs, poking my head over the balcony. _

_"You think you can talk to me any kind of way?" There was a noise that sounded like a whip being cracked, and then she was crying._

_"No! No, please-"_

_"You wanna be so damn bad, act like it then!" I heard the noise again, more crying. "You ain't nothin! Yo ass ain't nothing! You lucky I stay with yo ass!"_

_I ran down the stairs, my socked feet thumping loudly on the carpeted floor. I slid into the kitchen to see my mom cowering in the corner by the refrigerator, her arms over her head, trying to shield herself from her attacker's blows. In a fit of anger I grabbed a pot off the wall._

_"You think you so bad _now_?" Smack._

_My mom's crying grew louder._

_"Watchu gon do, huh? Watchu gonna do?"_

_I let out a roar of anger, swinging the pot around. He looked up just in time for it to strike him dead in his nose. The pot clanged to the ground and he fell to his knees, groaning and holding his head. I could see blood trickling down the side of his face, but I ignored him as I ran to my mom's side, helping her to her feet. She was still sobbing, her shoulders shaking._

_"Mom." I was finally taller than her since I'd had my growth spurt the year before, so I stared down into her face, which was already swelling on one side. "Goddamn."_

_"Cairo." She gripped my arms with her own hands, her eyes widening in dawning horror. "What did you do?"_

_I started to reply but was interrupted as I felt someone grab my shirt, spinning me around. I looked up just in time to see a dark fist flying towards my face._

_My mom screamed but I ducked, popping back up to deliver a hit of my own to his eye. As he let go of my shirt, dropping his hands to his face I gave him a swift kick to the gut, sending him sprawling onto the ground._

_"You wanna hit people?" I snapped, drawing my foot back again. "Why don't you fight a real man?"_

_He suddenly bolted up, grabbing my leg so that my feet fell out from under me and I hit the ground hard with my back. He grabbed at my shoulders but I stuck my thumbs out, pushing them into the sockets of his already red eyes. He howled out, flinging his arms everywhere. I stumbled to my feet, running up the stairs to my room._

_"Ezra! Ezra, lock the door!" I yelled at him as Jerome thumped blindly up the stairs after me, still roaring in pain. I could hear my mother screaming behind him._

_"Jerome! Don't hurt him, Jerome! He's just a child-"_

_"Come here!" He screamed at me. Ezra let out a shriek of his own and I pushed him inside our room, pulling it shut so that I stood in between him and Jerome. I didn't care what he did to me, I wouldn't let him hurt Ezra._

_He swung at me and I ducked, but his other fist knocked me in the gut, cutting off my air. Another fist came up to ram my chin. I fell back against the door but pushed myself up, head butting him. He grabbed his head, falling back into the banister. My mother reached the landing, her eyes filled with fear._

_"Cairo! Jerome! Please, stop-"_

_Jerome suddenly spun around, his hand connecting so hard with my mother's face that it sent her tumbling backwards. I could only watch in horror as her feet slipped and she went tumbling down the stairs, landing in a ball on the bottom floor. _

_"Mom!" I screamed, leaning over the banister, Jerome temporarily forgotten. "Mom!" I heard her groan and saw her roll onto her stomach, so that was a good sign._

_What I didn't see was Jerome getting up until I happened to hear Ezra scream my name._

_"Cairo!"_

_I fell down to my knees just in time to miss the door flying at me; it missed and flipped down the stairs. "Mom!"_

_She looked up, her eyes wide, and rolled out of the way just before it collided with the wall behind her, crashing into the china cabinet. The glass all plummeted to the floor and she covered her head and neck, still crying. Jerome spun around to face his son._

_"Yo god damn-"_

_"No!" I spun him around by his collar before punching him in the nose. He stumbled back, recovering quickly. "You leave him _alone_!"_

_"Damn it, boy!" Jerome chased after me as I ran into the guest room, ducking under the bed and pulling out a silver box with a combination lock on it. It didn't take me long to unlock it and toss the lock aside, but by the time I took out the handgun, luckily loaded, Jerome was already in the doorway. His face was bruised and black, his eye bleeding, and his lip split._

_"You'd betta hope there is a god," He said in a rough voice, taking a step towards me. "Because I'm gonna kill you."_

_I raised the gun from where I was crouched by the bed, shaking my head. My hands trembled. His eyes widened._

_"The fuck you are."_

_The gun went off, exploding in my hands. Jerome let out an agonizing howl of pain, dropping to the floor in the doorway as he clutched his chest. I stood up, watching him as he fought for air, his eyes darting around wildly before settling on me. _

_"You…" He struggled to speak. A trail of blood dribbled down the corner of his mouth. "You…bastard_-"

_I looked away, my eyes squeezed shut, and pointed the gun again. I pulled the trigger, hearing the bullet make full impact with his skull. When I opened my eyes again a few seconds later, he was still._

_I felt my stomach lurch and I spun around, dropping to my knees to throw up. I could hear mom screaming downstairs all over again as well as the creak of a bedroom door. "Cairo?"_

_Fuck. I lifted my head, wiping the corner of my mouth with my sleeve. I couldn't let Ezra see this._

_"I'm alright!" I stepped over Jerome's body, rushing to my younger brother and covering his eyes. "I'm fine."_

_"Daddy?!" Ezra's voice was close to hysterical. "Cairo, what happened to daddy?!"_

_"Nothing. He's…resting." I grabbed a hold of his shoulders as he started to cry. "Ez. Hey. Look at me."_

_His hazel eyes connected with my own. I pulled him into my arms, hugging him with everything I had. My mother was climbing up the stairs now, her eyes red rimmed and her face wet with tears._

_"Jerome?" She reached the landing, glancing around. "Jerome?" She spotted him at the end of the hallway and her hand flew up to her mouth, the tears building up all over again. "Jerome!"_

_She ran over to his body, dropping down and cradling his head with her arms. She let out a sob, spinning towards me. "Cairo!" She sounded heartbroken. "What did you_ do_?"_

_I remained silent. She let his body fall back down to the floor and stood up, her eyes going from horrified to sad to furious in a matter of seconds._

_"You…killed him."_

_Ezra let out a dry sob of his own. I gave her a dirty look, covering his ears._

_"It was either him or me, mom." My voice sounded hollow, even to my own ears. "Either I was going to die, or he had to."_

_She looked up, her face crumpled. The words that came out of her mouth next hit me like a brick wall._

_"But…but…" Her hand rose back to her mouth. "I wanted him."_

_I stared up at her, my heart seeming too big for my chest. I could feel it shaking up my rib cage, could feel my throat closing._

_"Why would you possibly think," She said, her voice now filled with a quiet anger. "That I'd choose _you _over him?!"_

_My jaw dropped. "Because I'm your _son_!"_

_She let out another sob, shaking her head. I hugged Ezra, who was now full out bawling, to my chest. My mother bent down, picking up the forgotten gun. She lifted it. She pointed it to my head._

_"You made that choice for me." She hiccupped, her eyes glazed. "But you chose wrong."_

_I closed my eyes as she pulled the trigger._

* * *

_November 1, 2022_

"So." I leaned against the door frame of Jazmine and Maya's room. "When are you going to stop sneaking into your room at five in the morning to make it look like you've been there all night?"

I watched Jazmine from the doorway as she went through her and Maya's closet, most likely looking for something to wear being that she was still in the shirt she'd slept in as well as a pair of shorts. She looked over her shoulder at me, offering a shrug. Her hair was in a messy bun that bounced with enthusiasm when she moved.

"I don't know." She turned to face me now, her hands dropping to her sides. "Does it bother you?"

I shrugged back. "No." She arched an eyebrow, put a hand on her hip. "Maybe a little." When she started smirking at me I sighed, running a hand through my hair. "Fine. Maybe I just sleep a little better when you're there."

"I've only slept in your room for three nights!" Jazmine laughed.

"Well, maybe it's been the best nights of sleep I've gotten in a while, okay?" I replied, embarrassed. Jazmine laughed more. I rolled my eyes.

"I'm sorry." She closed the closet door, sitting down on the end of Maya's bed. "I guess I'm not ready for someone to walk into your room one morning, see me there, and talk us to death about our current…er…arrangement."

It was my turn to life a brow. "Which is…?"

"I," Jazmine declared, glancing up. "Have no idea."

"Well." I walked over, plopping down beside her. "You've slept in my bed for three nights. You stole my T Shirt the other day. You tasted a bite of Cindy's spicy brown rice with _my_ fork, and you held my hand for a good twenty minutes when we were watching Animal Planet on the couch yesterday." I elbowed her. "What does that sound like to you?"

"That spicy brown rice was _good_," Jazmine shot back, sitting up straighter. "Way better than white rice."

"Jazmine-"

"And not because it's brown, either."

"Jazmine."

"I know that could be seen as a racial slur, but-"

"_Jazmine_." I shook my head, trying not to laugh. "Do you always make things so complicated?"

"Well." Jazmine winced. "Probably."

I laughed. "It wouldn't be the end of the world if everyone else were to find out we're dating. You know that, right? In fact," I added as Jazmine squirmed uncomfortably in her spot. "Since we're living in a house with six other people, it's _going_ to happen. "

"We're not dating! We're…" Jazmine shrugged. "Hanging…out?" When I continued to stare at her she shook her head. "I don't want to rush things."

I blinked. "You can sleep in my bed, you can share my germs, but you don't want to rush things."

"I know! I'm making no sense! I'm sorry!" She dramatically flopped back on the bed, staring at the ceiling, her arms outstretched above her head. "I really am sorry. My last boyfriend got killed because we decided to consummate our relationship. I'm kind of in the same house as someone who I was after for years. And it's just weird, alright?"

"Yeah, because it's just typical, everyday life for me." I rested my hand on her rib cage. "I abruptly quit pursuing one woman and have drunk sex with another on a daily basis. Look." My hand moved to Jazmine's shoulder as I studied her now mortified face. "This is just as confusing for me, too. But it's all or nothing. You can't just have one foot in a door and one foot in another."

"I know." Jazmine looked hesitant. "But how do I move my feet into the same one?"

I leaned forward, taking her chin in my hand and brushing my lips against hers. It lasted only for a few seconds, but that was all it took for her face to turn pink. I let her go, shrugging.

"That's a start." I stood up, stretching. "So?" I grinned. "If you want to know my opinion, we should just start making out on the couch one morning during breakfast. That'll get _everyone's_ attention-"

"Shut up." Jazmine threw a pillow at me, shaking her head, her face still filled with color. "Don't make me have to hurt you before we go out on a…" She made a face. "_Date._"

"Oh, you're going to let me take you on one of those?"

"_Yes." _Jazmine's face was redder than ever. "God."

"Aww, you're so shy!" I laughed again. She got up, storming towards the door.

"Go away!" She laughed, leaning out the door to give me a quick kiss before slamming it in my face. I stood outside the door, staring at the wood.

"So, that was a yes, right?"

* * *

_Huey_

Somehow I always ended up on roofs.

The Hudson River seemed to call out to me like a long snake, twisting and coiling around the buildings and lights as if it were a living, breathing being. It was cold, but its wind chill was nowhere as bad as it had been in Chicago. Then again, they didn't call it "the windy city" for nothing.

"Hey!" A cheerful tone called out. I glanced over my shoulder to see Jazmine standing by the door, her hand still resting on the knob and her cheeks pink from the cold. "What are you doing out here?"

"Nothing much." I remembered the article from earlier and tried to push it out of my mind. "What's going on?"

"Nothing much," Jazmine repeated. She let the door close behind her as she walked up to me, her hands shoved deep in her pockets and a small smile decorating her face. I couldn't place it and I didn't even know if I were imagining it or not, but she looked considerably happier than a few days ago. "I just wanted to check on you."

My lip curled upwards. "How considerate of you."

"I know." Jazmine flashed him a grin, sitting down on the concrete wall beside him. Her hair was pushed behind her ears, which were also red at the tips. "Joking. But seriously, you spend so much time worrying and fussing about us…" She shrugged casually. "Someone should take the time to worry about you, too."

I nodded, flexing the fingers on my mostly healed arm. "You don't need to worry about me. I'm fine."

"Are not." Jazmine shook her head. "We never really talked about it, you and I. You almost died, Huey." She gave me a look which looked to be some mixture of impatience and sadness. "How could you take that lightly?"

"I don't." I leaned back against the wall. "Life and death walk hand in hand, Jazmine. Life is so fragile and short, yet every day we do things that increase our odds of ending it entirely." I shrugged. "That motorcycle…I knew the moment we hit that ice, in that split second, that if I didn't slide into it a certain way I could kill you, or me, or both of us. There was no way I wanted to hurt you, not when I'd have to deal with the guilt for the rest of my life. Both of us dying wasn't good enough, not when you were still involved. So I tilted."

Jazmine looked confused. "Tilted…?"

"I made it so that the back would bounce and you'd hit the snowbank," I explained, watching as recognition flew across her features. "And I'd take the brunt of it."

Jazmine shook her head slowly, frowning. "Why would you _do _that?"

"There's no point in dwelling over it now," I told her. "What's done is done. I saved your life, you saved mine. We're even."

Jazmine looked unconvinced, but nodded nonetheless. She looked straight ahead, her eyes distant. Her eyes fascinated me; they were older and wiser, but still held that youthful depth that she'd always had. I wondered if it would ever go away. I hoped it wouldn't.

"Do you get scared sometimes?" She asked quietly. I stared at her. She pulled her knees closer to her chest. "Do you get scared of making the wrong choices?"

I snorted. "We're humans. We all do."

Jazmine shook her head. "Do you get scared that you won't make it out of this alive?"

I examined her face, scrunching up my own. "Are you scared that we won't make it out alive?"

She shook her head. "No." She offered me a smile. "I thought I would be. But I'm not."

"You know in there?" I pointed towards the door. She nodded. "There's eight of us. Out of the eight of us, we'll be lucky if four of us are alive next year."

Jazmine's expression remained neutral although the change in her eyes was imminent. "What makes you say that?"

"Because last year," I told her quietly. "There were twelve of us." I noticed her swallow. "It's hard surviving this, and it's only going to get worse for us. Especially for you." Her eyebrows raised. "You're the daughter of a very important person in this movement. You're becoming a symbol of hope for thousands of people across the country as we speak. More people are going to support us…and more people are going to be trying to find and kill you." She visibly winced. "It's not your fault. You're only involved by association."

"Is me being here endangering you all, too?" Jazmine asked softly. I stared up into the night sky.

"No." Jazmine seemed to deflate like a helium balloon; her shoulders slumped, her features seem to shrink away. "You're not."

We both knew without talking that I was lying.

"I won't let anything happen to you," I vowed. She glanced my way again. " I don't care if I have this stupid cast, these dumb crutches…I made a promise to your father. I made a promise to myself." I tried to look as reassuring as possible. "You're going to be fine."

Jazmine gave me a sad smile. "How can you be so sure?"

Her words, spoken as gently as the air around us, hung out in the open as they waited to be answered.

* * *

Short AND useless? Whoa. Bad Kelsey. Bad. :)

-Kelsey


	17. Chapter Sixteen

_IT'S GONNA SNOW IT'S GONNA FREAKING SNOW!!! I'm so excited, forrealz. While I am 19 years of age, I still enjoy snowball fights, making snow men, and sledding. Especially since we probably get a good snow down here in ol' Viginnie-aye like what, once every seven years? It rarely snows down here, and if it does it sucks and it's gone but 10 am. And it's close to christmas?! Exciting._

_Anyways, since none of y'all asked that, I'll just get on with it. Thanks to MzMinni3 and xXMissJanuary1996Xx for the reviews. Unlike the rest of you THEY WEREN'T SLACKERS. :P_

_Blah blah, whatever. On to the story!!_

_Disclaimer: I do not own the Boondocks. _

* * *

Old Soul

Chapter Sixteen

_"Risk! Risk anything! Care no more for the opinions of others, for those voices. Do the hardest thing on earth for you. Act for yourself. Face the truth."_

-_Katherine Mansfield_

* * *

_November 9, 2022  
Caesar_

"Justice!" I yelled as Cindy and I walked down Fifth Avenue, throwing out flyers. Well, I was throwing them. Cindy was passing them out to people who stopped to talk to us, passed by with their hands outstretched, or stood near us with looks of curiosity on their faces. "Get you hot, fresh justice right here!"

"Caesar!" She half laughed, half scolded, smacking me in the head with her dwindling stack. "We're supposed to be a _little_ more inconspicuous than that!"

"Aw, come on!" I passed one out to an old man who was holding his hand over his nose and digging in his pockets for tissue. "Why use tissue when you could use _justice _and equality for all?"

He looked up, shrugging and taking it from me, crumpling it up and blowing into it. "I like justice and equality for all. Thanks."

"See?" I shrugged, taking Cindy's free hand in my own as we walked. "People love justice."

"I still don't think you should be so loud with it," She said as we turned the corner. "We may have a lot of allies here, but there's still a good amount of enemies, too. And we don't want to lead anyone to our house."

"True." I dropped a flyer into a man's open guitar case as he strummed quietly. He gave me a dirty look but I ignored him. "But how are we going to get the word out about the protest in two days if we don't do anything?"

Cindy glanced up, her eyes widening. She grinned, pointing up at one of the large planes that were flying overhead. "Something tells me our point will be made," She laughed. I looked up, too.

The plane had a long, massive banner that waved in the wind, advertising about the protest. I glared down at my flyers which looked small in comparison. "Wow. New York is wild." I held up the flyers. "I guess these are useless."

"Aw, baby!" Cindy wrapped her arms around me, taking them from me and mixing them with her own. "They're great and they get the message across without being all big and show-offy." She handed another one to a passing woman in a business suit, giving her a smile. She looked back to me. "Why don't I stay out here and finish these off while you go get us some coffee?"

"Us? I don't drink coffee."

Cindy rolled her eyes, giving me a "duh" look. "Well _fine_, fool. Get _me _some coffee. Damn! You gotta sista dying of hypothermia out this bitch!"

I rolled my own eyes, tugging down her hat so that it covered her eyes. She laughed, pulling it back up as I walked into the coffee shop we'd happened to be standing in front of (hmm. How convenient that had been for her). Taking off my cap so I could shake out my hair I walked up to the counter and got my wallet out my pocket, removing a ten dollar bill. "One large coffee, please," I said to the bored looking girl who was popping her gum behind the counter. "Black, two sugars. And a large cup of organic caffeine-free green tea for me." When she raised her eyebrows I gave her a smile. "Thank you."

She held out her hand for my money. As I waited for my order I happened to glance out the window of the café, making sure Cindy hadn't turned into an ice sickle or wasn't provoking homeless people by telling them to get a job or, better yet, become a stripper. Instead, I saw her having an animated conversation with two men in suits. Their faces were neutral, although I saw a golden cross twinkling on each of their chests. I glanced towards Cindy's coat.

_Shit_.

"Um, thanks!" I said hurriedly as she handed me our drinks, still looking as indifferent as when I came in. I burst through the door in time to catch one of the men's words.

"-against the state law for anyone to leave the house without wearing their badges."

"Well, I apologize, sir." Cindy, to my relief, was being on her best behavior. "I wasn't aware of that."

"Why wouldn't you be?" The other one, wearing a black hat, asked. Cindy raised an eyebrow.

"I haven't been here very long," She replied evenly, our flyers tucked under her arm. The taller man noticed them the same time I did.

"What are those?" He asked, pointed a gloved finger towards them. Cindy's arm tightened instinctively.

"Just some advertisements I had to print off this morning at work." She looked annoyed.

"Where do you work?" The man pressed. I decided it was a good time to come in.

"Hey babe!" I handed her drink over to her, pressing my lips against her cheek. "What's up?"

"Nothing." Cindy looked back at them and I lifted my head as well, drawing myself up to my full height. "Just talking to these two nice men."

"Who are you?" The black hat wearing man asked. I cleared my throat.

"Paul. Paul Williams." My arm slid protectively around Cindy's shoulders. "What seems to be the problem?"

They both stared down at the small badge that was on the left side of my chest, a small moon and crescent. While the Islamic symbol wasn't one too many people wanted to see it was better than the nothing that Cindy was currently sporting. They exchanged glances.

"Mr. Williams. Please let your…_friend_ here in on our rules in New York." The taller man's voice dropped. "We don't want to see her walking around with no badge again."

"Sure, sure!" I dropped my arm, making a mock salute with my free hand. "Nice taking to you."

They gave me as well as each other another glance before starting down the street, their hands falling in the pockets. I plucked Cindy in her forehead as soon as I was sure that they were out of earshot. "Really?" I hissed, throwing up my hands and sloshing hot tea on the ground. "You _really_ forgot to wear your cross today? You're lucky they didn't force you to show them those flyers!"

"I forgot!" Cindy snapped, folding her arms over her chest. We set off down the street as well, making sure to head in the opposite direction that the two men had taken. "We got away with it better in Chicago! I didn't realize New York City was Nazi central."

"Well, don't forget again." I sighed, shaking my head. "I do not feel like running into any trouble when we haven't even been here a month."

Cindy slid her hand back in mine and smiled up at me. I returned it, giving her fingers a light squeeze as we continued to hand out flyers.

* * *

_Jazmine_

I came downstairs to see Huey lifting weights.

Seriously.

I had to glance around, making sure that I wasn't in some alternate universe. Sure, Huey was a ninth degree black belt and one of the strongest people I knew. Wait, who was I kidding? He _was _the strongest. However, that still didn't make up for the fact that for all the years I'd known him, I'd never known him to be the weight lifter type. Which was what I exactly told him as I reached the living room.

"Huey?" I bent down to the side, staring up at the bar he was currently holding, his face tensed from concentration. His right foot was on the floor, his left one propped up thanks to a table he had his cast stretched across. "Um, Sir buff-pants?" I straightened as he sighed, resting the bar on the holder thingy (I didn't know what the hell any of that equipment was called!) above him and sat upright, wiping his face with the hem of his shirt. "What…what are you doing?"

He gave me a look. "What does it look like I'm doing?"

"Well, it looks like you're lifting weights."

He smirked. "Okay, then. That's what I'm doing."

"Well, what I meant is _why_?" He looked at me again. "Huey, you're probably stronger than the Ninja Turtles, Big Bird, and a Sumo Wrestler combined. What do you need to lift weights for?"

He shook his head. "See that?" He asked, pointing to his cast. I nodded. "Thanks to that, I can't exactly get around like I used to, not to mention exercise. You only stay strong if you keep exercising and I can't really do that right now. So I can't exactly go around karate chopping bad guys when I have a cast on."

"Oh! So you're going to punch them instead." I clapped my hands, as if I were being let on to some big secret. "Yay!"

"You make no sense." He lay back down on the bench, flexing his fingers. I headed to the fridge to get something to drink. "Remember when I used to do push-ups with you on my back?"

I looked back over the refrigerator door, eyebrow raised. Huey wasn't one to initiate conversations about old memories; he preferred to look to the future. I had to agree with him in that aspect since I wasn't too keen on memories myself. Luckily, this was a memory I could recall that brought a smile to my face.

"Yup." I let the door shut, pouring myself a glass of orange juice. "I used to cross my legs and sit Indian style on you after I got done refusing to, because I was convinced I'd break your spine." The corners of his mouth pointed upwards. "I think your record with me was what, two hundred and twenty?"

"Two hundred and twenty three," He corrected. I rolled my eyes, taking a sip.

"Woo! Excuse me." I sat down on the floor beside the bench, resting my elbow beside him. "You don't have to have the cast on too much longer, you know. Just a couple more months. I think you could do with resting until then."

Huey snorted, picking up the weighted bar in response. I sat up.

"I'm serious! Look." I took another sip of juice. "If you aren't reading the paper, you're watching the news. If you aren't watching the news you're on the internet, trying to find out some new information on what's going on. If you aren't doing that, you're on the phone with delegates or trying to organize meetings, or whatever else you do that I'm too lazy to pay attention to. Wouldn't you like, I don't know…a rest?"

Huey set down the bar again. "You're distracting me."

"I mean, Caesar's good at getting a crowds' attention," I went on, ignoring his comment. "And Hiro's good with the technical stuff. And Cairo's familiar with everything you do and how you do it. Why don't you let them take over for a while and you just focus on getting better?" He looked annoyed. "I mean, the less stress you have the faster you'll heal."

"Jazmine." Huey held up a hand. "I've got this, thank-you-very-much." His tone was anything but appreciative. I stood up, holding my glass.

"Well _sorry_." I stepped over his leg, heading for the stairs. "Forgive me for caring. How dare I?"

"Wait." Huey looked pained. "I'm sorry." He shrugged. "You just get used to leading after a while. It's all you know how to do. If I were to _temporarily_-" He put so much emphasis on that word that I had to resist laughing. "-step down, I'd feel useless. Not to mention, if something bad were to happen while Caesar or Hiro or Cairo were running things-"

"Sometimes mistakes have to happen." I stared at him. "You know that."

"I _know_ that, but it doesn't mean you want it to happen." Huey took a deep breath. "Caesar's good, but he's already said that he doesn't want to lead. He's into supporting roles, he told me. Hiro's the same way; he doesn't like dealing with too many people. Cairo…" His voice trailed off. I felt my eyebrow rise.

"What's wrong with Cairo?" I asked , trying to hide the protective tone my voice held. Huey shrugged.

"There's nothing wrong with him. He's been here the longest other than of course, me and Riley. He's pretty tech savvy, resourceful, and he's an asset to any situation. He thinks quick on his feet."

"Then what's wrong with him?" I repeated. Huey leaned back on his hands.

"Nothing."

We stared at each other for a minute until I burst out laughing, the meaning of his words erupting in my head like a geyser. "Oh, my god." I set down my glass, pointing at him. "Are you…" My voice was filled with disbelief. "_Jealous_?"

"Jazmine." Huey looked bored. "Really."

"Yes, really!" I grinned. "Huey Freeman, feeling threatened by fellow Alpha Male, Cairo Evans."

"Where do you get this from?" He asked.

"I too think quickly on my feet." I let my tone get serious. "Come on. Admit it."

"No! I won't admit what isn't true." Huey stood up, heading for the bathroom. He was getting good at walking without his crutches, even though he was still as slow as a snail. "Come on, you know me better than that."

"I do," I answered, my voice honest. He disappeared into the bathroom and I snickered. "Well enough to know you're lying."

* * *

_Cairo_

With all the importance that this one package held, I could feel it weighing down my hand as Maya and I walked down the street of the quiet neighborhood. Maya's hands were in her pockets and she seemed to be deep in thought. That made two of us.

"What is it?" Maya asked, nodding towards the square item that was wrapped in thick, brown paper.

"Hell if I know." I shrugged. "I just know that Huey told me to guard this thing with my life before he sent me out here, so it must be important." I smiled. "Thanks for coming with me."

Maya grinned, her smile sending a slight tremor down my spine. "Don't mention it."

Jazmine and I had been dating for a couple weeks now, but neither one of us had told anyone. Not because we were ashamed, but because with everything going on right now it wasn't as if this would be high on the list of priorities for everyone else. Jazmine had wanted to accompany me but didn't want it to look too suspicious, so she'd opted to stay home and Maya had come instead. I thought we'd been doing pretty well at keeping everything under wraps. Which was why it was so surprising when Maya lifted her head, giving me a knowing look.

"So." Her tone was even. "How long have you and Jazmine been hooking up?"

I froze in my tracks, eyeing her. She had kept walking so when she realized I was no longer following her stride she stopped, turning to face me as well. She looked amused.

"Oh, come on. You don't really think I'm going to believe that every single time I awaken during the night she just so happens to be in the bathroom?" She flipped her hair over her shoulders. "Please. By the way." She sniggered. "I suggest at least checking to make sure no one's looking out the window before kissing each other like there's no tomorrow on the front doorstep. At least," She noted, her own smile growing at the increasing horror on my face. "If you're trying to be sneaky or whatever."

"Maya!" I gaped at her. "How long have you known?"

"I saw you two outside the other night," She replied. We began walking again. "You know, when you said you two were going to run up to the corner store and didn't come back for three hours."

"Ah." I felt my face redden.

"Not to mention," She went on, either ignoring my obvious embarrassment or being too amused to even notice. "Jazmine eats off your plate. I can't even breathe on her food without her going all spastic on me."

"Are you mad?" I asked. It was Maya's turn to look surprised.

"Mad? Why would I be mad?"

I felt my shoulders slump. "I don't know," I mumbled dumbly. She shrugged.

"I mean, it's pretty crummy you didn't tell me and we're supposed to be such good friends," She went on thoughtfully. "But I can live with that. I suppose."

"Well." We reached the address that was on the slip of paper in Maya's hand and walked up the steps to the townhouse. She reached out, ringing the doorbell. "I'm sorry. I should've told you."

"No big deal." She flashed me another one of her heartwarming smiles. "Technically it's none of my business. Just tell her…"

I looked at her. "Tell her what?"

Maya held her chin up confidently. "Tell her if she hurts you, she's going to have to answer to me," She declared. "Oh, and that if she likes sleeping with you so much, just stay in there already. I'd love to have my own room."

I laughed. "I'll be sure to let her know."

"Don't get that sarcastic tone with me." Maya's nose wrinkled. "I'm doing _you _a favor."

I shook my head, shoving my hands in my pockets. We shifted quietly on the doorstep for a few more seconds until Maya rag the doorbell again.

No one came.

"That's weird." I reached out, my knuckles rapping against the wooden door. "This is the right address…" My words trailed off as the door creaked open, apparently from my knocking. Maya and I exchanged confused glances.

"Hello?" Maya started over the threshold but I held my hand in front of her, stepping forward.

"Stay behind me," I instructed, my heavy boots thumping on the hardwood floor. The house was dark, minus a dim light coming from upstairs. Maya gently stepped in behind me, her hand gripping my arm and her eyes filled with fright.

"I'm scared of the dark," She whispered nervously. I glanced back at her, eyebrow raised.

"…seriously?" The gray overcast skies outside didn't provide much light, especially further into the house, but I didn't really want to give away our position. She nodded.

"Yes," She confessed. "I used to hate playing hide-n-seek with my cousins from Missouri, cause they'd always insist on playing at nighttime, or turning all the lights off in the house while we played. I hate it."

"Fine." My fingers felt along the wall for a light switch. "We'll just turn this on, and-"

"Oh shit!" Maya screamed when my fingers fumbled with the switch and the hallway light clicked on. I glanced at her face before following her eyes.

Blood.

"Damn it!" I snapped, whipping a gun out of my side pocket and clicking off the safety, pointing it in front of us with both hands. Maya, who had taken the package from me, clutched it to her chest protectively. "Come on."

I gestured for her to follow me down the hallway, our footsteps muffled by the Oriental rug that was on the floor. I made sure not to step in any blood and was grateful that we were both wearing gloves so that we wouldn't leave any evidence, just in case this took a turn for the worse. We paused in front of a darkened doorway which the blood had led us to and I took a deep breath before clicking the light on.

Maya screamed.

The room turned out to be the kitchen. A woman lay on her back in front of the stove, her eyes still and glassy. Her hand was clenched in a fist and she wasn't moving. A puddle of blood lay underneath her. A man was slumped over at the kitchen table, his head in his arms as if he had simply fallen asleep.

I stepped back, feeling nauseous. Behind me I heard Maya coughing as if she were trying not to throw up.

"Get out of here!" I hissed, shooing her away. "Go outside and call the cops. Do it from that payphone we saw a street back!"

She nodded, turning on her heel. I heard her footsteps fading away, followed by a loud thump and another scream.

"Cairo!"

I ran into the hallway to see two men wearing masks clutching her; one of them was holding her by the shoulder, his hand clamped over her mouth.

The other man was holding the box.

He pointed his gun at me and I raised mine as well, aiming it at his face. He took the barrel of his and slowly placed it against Maya's temple. She squirmed around, wincing and looking as if she were trying not to cry.

I slowly lowered mine, shaking my head. I saw Maya glance at me and somehow knew what she was about to do without any words having to be spoken. I tensed as the man with the box turned around, probably to leave-

"Ouch!"

Maya had bit her captor and stomped his foot with her heel at the same time before bringing her elbow up to strike him in the face. He stumbled back and I raised my gun as the armed one whipped around. I shot it, grazing his shoulder.

He let out a howl of his own, shooting at me but missing. Maya pushed against him and made him fall into his partner and grabbed the forgotten box as we ran past them down the steps, sprinting around the corner. A gunshot, followed by a stray bullet whizzing past my shoulder, let us know that they weren't quite done with us.

"Where do we go?" Maya gasped as we ran. I grabbed her collar, pulling her down a tight alleyway.

"Here!" I whispered, picking her up and all but throwing her into a dumpster. I dived in after her, ducking down in the corner and sticking my hand over her mouth as she started to protest. "Wait."

We listened for the sound of footsteps, hearing nothing. After a good five minutes of silence Maya whispered, "Can we go now?"

I hung back, reluctant. "They could still be hanging around here. I don't know."

Maya nodded. She was being a pretty good sport about the fact that we were currently sitting in a dumpster. Luckily, it was been dumped recently so there wasn't much trash in it.

"What do you think they wanted?" She asked. I shook my head, holding up the box.

"I'll give you three guesses."

* * *

_Huey_

"I don't get it." Hiro was turning the box over in his hands, his eyes confused form behind his glasses. "Why would someone want this so badly? It's just a box."

"Maybe it's wat's _inside_ da box," Riley said sarcastically, peeling an orange. "An you suppose ta be smart. Damn. Is someone gon cook tonite or am I gunna hafta starve?"

"Riley, shut up." I took the box in my own hands, surveying it with curious eyes. When Tyrell, a fellow resistance member, had dropped it off to me a few days ago asking me to get it to someone, I hadn't thought much about it. But if it was getting people killed, there was obviously more worth to it than originally thought. "I wonder what's so important inside this thing that someone would go through lengths to kill someone."

"Maybe it was a coincidence," Maya contributed, a blanket around her and her hair damp. The first thing she'd done when she and Cairo had gotten back was take an hour long shower. She was still obviously shaken by the situation. "Those poor people…they-"

Jazmine, who was sitting beside her on the counter, wrapped a sympathetic arm around her shoulders, letting her rest her head on her shoulders. "It's okay," She whispered before looking at me. "Why don't we just open it?"

"We don't know what it is," Caesar said before I could open my mouth. "It could be something that kills _us_."

"Dummy, why the hell would someone in the resistance entrust us with something that could kill whoever opens it?" Cindy demanded. "That means if it was desired for the people Cairo and Maya found that he was trying to kill more resistance members. He'd be a traitor!"

"Well," Cairo put in lightly, little humor in his voice. "There's a lot of that going around these days."

"It was mailed to Tyrell," I explained, folding my hands on the table in front of me. "The only reason it wasn't mailed directly to them was because their address isn't listed, just like ours. Tyrell was the closest living member and his address _is _listed."

"So basically, he got mo balls."

"Yes, Riley." I rolled my eyes. "Basically."

"Maybe this will help!" Hiro suddenly spoke up, his laptop balanced on his knees as he sat up on his stool. "Alright, I searched those people who Maya and Cairo found. Their names were Marilyn and Stanley George. Stanley George didn't come up in the search engine, but Marilyn Cooper did."

"Cooper?" Cindy asked.

"Her maiden name." Hiro's eyes scanned the screen. "At thirty-nine years old, Marilyn Cooper George was the first person to crack the code on selective bombing."

"Selective bombing?" Caesar straightened. "What's that?"

"It's a bomb or substance that can be released with the desire to trigger reactions within an organism or individual to chemically alter their genetic makeup or structure, causing a desirable reaction to occur without affecting the others around them," Hiro explained in a rush. I watched everyone exchange confused glances.

"So…" Jazmine's nose was wrinkled. "Marilyn George invented a chemical substance that could physically attack a group of people, where the chemical would only affect a specific type of genes in that group?"

Everyone blinked. "Um…yeah, actually." Hiro straightened his glasses. "That about sums it up."

Cairo shook his head, smirking. "Nerd."

Jazmine blushed. "Not really."

"Anyways," I went on, ignoring them. "That's all well and good, but what do you think that has to do with her and her husband getting killed?"

"Well, Marilyn perfected it," Hiro went on, still scanning the article. "But only in people. For example, her discovery was what helped find a cure for sickle cell. She studied it, extracting DNA, and realized its attraction to certain genes. When she did that she was able to create a virus of her own which, when released into the environment, only attacked those with certain blood types. When she found a way to give a person an immunity boost based on their blood type, she basically found a way to protect humans from all blood borne diseases." He cleared his throat before going on. "Because people enjoy finding new ways to destroy each other, she began to dabble with bombs, seeing if she could transfer her knowledge about the autoimmune system into creating different bombs that could be set off and destroy something in an environment without harming the rest of its surroundings."

"Did she do it?" Cindy asked. Hiro gave her a look.

"No. She died instead." He set the laptop aside, taking up the package again. "I wonder if this has anything to do with her work."

We all stared down at the package, which seemed a lot more intimidating now.

"Maybe it's the cure for cancer," Maya mused.

"It could be an actual bomb," Cairo tried.

"Maybe it's dinna!" Riley groused. I shot him a look.

"I guess we should find out." I glanced around. "Anyone want to volunteer to open it?"

Everyone looked afraid. Cindy shook her head while Maya covered her eyes with her blanket. Cairo looked around and, noticing everyone's reluctance, held out a hand.

"I'll do it."

Hiro handed it over to him and he took it, the wrapper crinkling as it was transferred. Cairo studied it for a few seconds, turning it over in his hands before tearing off a corner, peeling the paper away. The room seemed to hold its breath as the paper fell away.

Then, his eyebrows rose.

"Huh?" He held up a small, cube piece of metal. "What's this?"

"They got killed over a chunk of metal?" Jazmine's voice was filled with disbelief. Hiro's eyes were the size of golf balls.

"Not any metal." He took it from Cairo, shaking his head. "This is the cousin of steel. This stuff is so rare, so new, they haven't even named it yet." His face took on a thoughtful look. "How could they have even gotten this?"

"Do you think that they were killed for it?" Maya asked. Hiro held it up again.

_"This? _Definitely. It's worth millions, billions. Fuck that. This stuff is priceless."

"That good?" Cindy shook her head. "Well, if someone got killed over it, do we _really_ want to keep it here?"

"Depends." I trained a wary eye on Maya and Cairo. "Are you _positive _no one followed you home?"

"We waited in that damn dumpster for almost an hour before coming home. Not to mention it was on the other side of town." Cairo nodded. "I know for a fact that no one followed us here."

"If you're that sure then, fine." Huey handed it to Hiro. "Keep it. I'll ask Tyrell if he knows what that stuff was supposed to be used for. I won't tell him we still got it, just in case, but it would be nice if we could make something useful with it."

"Okay okay, whateva. Can we _eat_ now?" Riley snapped.

"Yes, Riley, _yes_. Damn. Do you ever think about anything but food?" Cindy asked. Riley nodded.

"Yup. Sometimes I think bout sex."

Maya and Jazmine rolled their eyes.

"Put it in a safe place!" I told Hiro, who was already rushing up the stairs with it. "I want it so well hidden that no one else in the house will be able to find it!"

"Yeah, yeah," Hiro groused. I turned around, resting my head in my hands. What the hell had that package been for?

"Hey." I looked at Cairo and Maya. "Are you two okay?"

"Hell yea!" Cairo pounding his fist against his chest, gently nudging Maya's arm. "Come on. You're fine. Smile."

Maya sighed, offering a tiny smile before letting it fall off her face. Cairo shook his head, shrugging towards me.

"Huey." Jazmine was staring at me, her eyes filled with worry. Everyone looked at her. "I don't think we should be wondering what that package was for."

I raised an eyebrow. "No?"

"No." Jazmine swallowed, her eyes meeting mine. "I think the bigger question is why did those others guys want it so badly?"

* * *

_Jazmine_

"What are you thinking about?"

I turned away from the window to see Cairo staring at me, a mixture of amusement, curiosity, and concern in his features. "Wouldn't you like to know," I said with a smile, turning back to the window.

As usual I had snuck into Cairo's room the moment I was sure the rest of the house was either asleep, or at least too tired to care who was where. It was a bit juvenile, in a way, but at least I didn't have to listen to Cindy laugh and taunt me everyday like we were in fifth grade. It was better this way. Besides, there was something about sitting in his room in the dark, talking. While everyone was asleep, we used those quiet hours to get to know each other.

It was raining, drizzling to be specific. I looked out into the night, the streetlights illuminating the wet pavement. I pressed my palm against the glass, the cold shooting through my arm and making me shiver. "What are you thinking about?" I asked Cairo. He snorted.

"You won't tell me. Why should I tell you?"

"Because," I replied, glancing over my shoulder at him. "It should be obvious by now that you're the braver one of us." I turned back to the window. "So come on. Tell me."

He sighed. "Maya."

I raised an eyebrow, still studying the window. "Having second thoughts about us?"

"Of course not." I could hear the humor in Cairo's voice. "You're the best thing I've had going for me in a good five years. Maybe ten."

I felt my face heat up. "Then you must've had it rough."

"Yeah." Cairo came up beside me, staring out as well. "Things have been looking up recently, though." He smiled at me. I felt my heart constrict in its chest. It still did that whenever Cairo looked at me, touched me, talked to me. It was as if it was trying to decide between accepting him or rejecting him. If "Huey Freeman" and "Cairo Evans" came in the form of drugs, I'd probably be screwed.

"Alright, so you're thinking about Maya." I pat the windowsill beside me so that he could sit. "What about her?"

"I don't know." Cairo shrugged. "We're really good friends. I'm just hoping she's not in her room right now, having a panic attack about earlier." He took my hand in his. "She's the youngest. She's not as mature as the rest of us old folk."

I rolled my eyes. "She's only a year younger than Riley, and two years younger than Huey. And he's more mature than the rest of us put together."

"I know, but still." He glanced outside again. "I don't think enough people worry about her."

I stared at his face, my mind filling with questions. "What about you?" When he glanced back at me I stared into his eyes. "Are you okay?"

He snorted. "I'm fine." His face took on a darker look. "I've seen people die before."

I nodded, not wanting to let on that I knew all about him and his experiences with death. "Do you think about it a lot?"

He sighed, looking away. I refused to let my gaze drop, staring into his face until he looked back.

"Every moment," He said softly. I swallowed, but before I could say anything he was looking out the window with curious eyes.

"It sure does seem to rain here a lot more than people talk about," He said. "I mean, you'd think we moved to Seattle or some shit."

"Cairo."

"Seriously!" He looked at me. "I'm surprised we haven't had to build an ark yet."

I smiled, looking out as well. "Well, I happen to like the rain."

"Well." Cairo leaned in until his warm breath was tickling my ear. "I happen to like you."

"Well." I leaned in myself until our lips were inches apart, letting my eyes shut. "That's good to know."

He backed away, poking my shoulder. "Tease."

"Only a little." I happened to glance out the window before doing a double take. "Hey. Do you see that?"

Cairo looked out as well, his eyebrows furrowing together. "What, that guy sitting under the streetlight?" I nodded. "What about him."

"I don't know." I shifted nervously in my spot. "Doesn't that seem weird to you?"

"What, that a man wants to stand under city property in the rain? No. He's probably just a homeless guy. What seems weird," Cairo said. "Is that we're not on my bed yet."

I shook my head, laughing. "You make that sound so dirty."

"Good. Then I'm doing it right."

I giggled, tearing my eyes away from the window. "We're supposed to be taking it slow," I reminded him as his lips drifted to my neck. It wasn't very hard to remember that with him kissing me, but I did nonetheless. He sighed, lifting his head.

"You and your morals. Joking," He added when I feigned a hurt expression. "Well, we should at least go to bed. If you want to wake up in time to sneak into your actual room, that is." He plopped down on the bed face first, letting out a loud, fake snore. I smirked, rising to my feet to follow suit. I glanced out the window one last time, my eyes blinking.

The man that was standing under the streetlight seemed to be staring straight at our window. I backed away, hitting the wall. Cairo looked up.

"What's wrong?"

I shook my head, averting my eyes so that I wouldn't have to see his haunting face again. Instead I flopped down beside Cairo and tried to convince myself that I'd been imagining it, letting him wrap his arms around me as we drifted off to sleep.

I guess it worked very well, because when I looked out the window early the next morning, the man was gone. It felt as if maybe he'd never even be there.

* * *

_Thanks for reading! :D Review?_

_Maybe?_

_...PUHLEEEEEEEEEEASE?!_

_-Kelsey_


	18. Chapter Seventeen

_So, I definitely taught myself my first song on guitar. I'm so excited (alright, so one of my really good friends helped me, but I figured out the rest all by myself! Wah!) . I was going to play it and sing for a gift for me/boyfriend's year anniversary, but that is if he doesn't stop making me feel NEGLECTED. Alright, it's not his fault he has friends and a social life and his girlfriend suffers from depression so she barely wants to get out of bed, let alone socialize. But whatever. Wait, what was the point of all that?! Oh yeah, THERE ISN'T ONE._

_Now, thanks to Lil Koneko and MzMinni3 for the reviews! Because they're about the only things that made me happy today. Well, besides learning that song. Whatever._

_Disclaimer: The Boondocks still isn't mine._

* * *

Old Soul

Chapter Seventeen

_"Isn't everything we do in life a way to be loved a little more?" _

-Julie Delpy

* * *

_November 19, 2022  
Jazmine_

As aware as I was that everyone in the house would have to figure out we were dating eventually, it didn't quite strike me until it was punching me in the face.

Well, not _me, _exactly. But pretty damn close.

We'd all drawn straws the night before to see who could go to the protest in Central Park that day, and Caesar, Huey, Cindy, and Riley had won out. Since Maya was already aware of us dating and Hiro would be locked up in his room, oblivious to the world around him, Cairo and I had went out before they'd left for the protest and explored the city. It was nice, being with someone who had a good sense of humor and could charm the hell out of anyone he wanted to. After telling a humorously tragic (yet fake) story about how Leprechauns had repossessed his house on Christmas day we'd gotten free pizza from an Italian chef. A Jamaican woman happily gave us matching bracelets when he helped her set up her kiosk. As the sun had began to set we'd ventured back home, even though everyone else would be back home for a good couple hours.

"Either you're a gifted storyteller or a compulsive liar," I said as Cairo fished through his coat pocket for his key. "I haven't decided yet."

"Why can't I be a compulsive storyteller?" He asked casually, pulling out the golden key and putting it into the lock. I shrugged, smiling up at him.

"So…was that like a date?"

Cairo looked down at me, his eyebrow raised and a smirk on his face. "I don't know. Do you want it to have been one?"

I shrugged. "Do you?"

"Sure." The door swung open but we were still staring into each other's eyes. "Then again, if this was a date, shouldn't I get a goodnight kiss?"

"I'll see you tonight!" I laughed. "Is it really necessary?"

"Oh, yes." Cairo's head dipped down, my eyes instinctively closing as his hand reached up to cup my cheek. "Kissing is always necessary."

His lips connected with mine and I stood on my tiptoes, pulling his head down further. After I realized I was running out of air I broke the kiss, grinning from ear to ear.

At least until we both looked inside the apartment.

"What…the hell…" Huey said in a dangerously low voice. "Is going on?"

Cairo and I exchanged startled glances. "Huey?" I asked weakly. I swallowed. "W-what are you doing here?"

"I didn't feel like venturing through Central park with a cast on, so I let Maya go in my place." Huey said, his eyes narrowed and his voice still holding that dangerous edge. He lifted his chin. "What _weren't _you two doing here?"

"We-"

"We were just hanging out," Cairo said with a shrug. He didn't look like he noticed Huey's death glare, or if he did he was ignoring it. Unlike me, he was at complete ease. "There was no point in hanging around here all day with nothing to do."

Huey stood rooted to the spot, merely staring at us. I looked down, realizing that Cairo and I were still holding hands. I felt my face grow red.

"Well. This has been nice." I patted Cairo's hand with my free hand, taking my other hand out of his grasp and slowly walking past Huey, avoiding his gaze. I could feet his eyes burning into my face. I didn't know why I felt so guilty, but it was definitely there. "If you'll excuse me…" _'I have to go throw up,' _I thought. I walked up the stairs and hurried to my room, closing the door behind me. I leaned back against it, sighing in relief.

Silence.

Maybe it wasn't that big a deal that Cairo and I were dating. I exhaled slowly, resting a hand on my chest.

_CRASH._

Fuck.

I threw open the door to see Huey and Cairo on the floor, both of them seeming to be having a neck-snapping contest. "What the hell?!" I shouted, rushing down the stairs. "Stop it!"

They both ignored me, rolling around on the floor. "WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?!" Huey was yelling, his fist sinking into Cairo's gut. Cairo groaned, but recovered quickly. He rolled over, pinning Huey to the ground by his shoulders.

"I don't want to hurt you!" He snapped angrily. "Your leg's already broken, so stop fighting me-"

Huey's broken leg came up to smack Cairo in the side of the head, sending him falling over. Huey was smirking. "Oh, that's it!" Cairo yelled, his fist rushing for Huey's face. Huey grabbed his arm, twisting it.

"I can't believe you'd do this to me!"

"You?! You didn't even care!" Cairo winced, bringing up his elbow and hitting Huey in the jaw. He fell back, rubbing it. "You didn't even _want _to be with her!"

"You don't know _what _I wanted because you never asked!" Huey snarled. They were both back on their feet, facing each other. I ran between them.

"Guys-"

"I didn't know I had to ask your permission," Cairo said sarcastically, grabbing my elbow and yanking me behind him. The side of his face was already changing color and his chest was heaving up and down. "From the way you treat her it's as if you don't even notice she's here!"

Were they _really _going to talk about me like I wasn't there? Huey's scowl deepened.

"You don't know _shit _about what I do and don't notice," He said in a grave tone. Even though he looked pretty menacing Cairo stood his ground. "I notice a lot of things."

"You don't know about nearly as much as you think you do," Cairo shot back. "You think you're so clever? You think you've got us all figured out and you can keep your dirty secrets to yourself?"

"What are you talking about?"

"You think I don't know? About what happened between you and Maya?" Huey's eyebrows lifted and I felt my own eyes widening. "You don't think I _know _that you slept with her?"

"You slept with Maya?" I heard myself choke. Cairo's hand tightened on my elbow.

"You knew how I felt about her!" He yelled so loudly I was surprised Hiro hadn't come to see what was happening, of that the neighbors weren't making a noise complaint. "You knew I'd fallen in love with her! You get to lead, you get to call the shots, _and _you took the only person from me who mattered?!"

"That's not how it is!" Huey snapped.

"Then how is it? Please let me know, because I'm so fucking confused!" Cairo let go of my arm, zeroing in on his best friend. Huey stared back, rage flashing across his face. "I don't understand how you can have Maya and I can't move on without it being some big deal-"

"Because you're moving on with Jazmine!"Huey's fist was clenched. "You didn't pick any other woman to be with! Of all the people we know, of everyone we've encountered, you had to choose _her_!" He shook his head, his voice tight. "You say I knew how much Maya meant to you? I didn't. But you knew how much I cared about Jazmine."

I felt my heart stop. I glanced between them frantically. Cairo's shoulders were squared. Huey's expression was murderous. They were so into the conversation they'd forgotten I was there.

"Bull. Shit." He shook his head slowly. "If you cared about her you wouldn't be stringing someone else along. Fuck you, Freeman."

"Oh, really?" Huey's eyebrow rose. "So what, you're trying to look like the good guy? You're no better than me, Evans. You're just using her."

"Do you even _hear_ yourself?" Cairo laughed. "Using her? Huey, I'm falling for her."

If my heart had stopped from Huey's words, then Cairo's made it restart. I felt it bang inside my chest with a supersonic _boom_. I shivered, at a complete loss for words.

Apparently Huey was as well, since he didn't say anything. Cairo took that as a sign that he could keep talking.

"Jazmine doesn't lie to me like you do, Huey." His voice shook. "And she doesn't see me as nothing more than a friend like Maya. She's easy to talk to, she's patient. She makes me happy." He looked back at me before locking eyes with Huey again. "And unlike you, I would _never _take her for granted."

His words seemed to make him even angrier. Before I knew it he had jumped at Cairo and I barely had time to move out of the way before they were crashing into the wall. A picture frame fell down, whacking Cairo on the head, but they were too busy fighting to notice.

"THAT'S IT!" I suddenly screamed, so loudly that Huey and Cairo jumped, rolling off of each other to stare up at me. The door to Hiro's room cracked open and he looked at us, confused.

"What's going on?" He asked, but I no one answered him. I stormed to the hall closet, wrenching the door open and grabbing my coat.

"How dare you?" I spat, storming back towards them. "How _dare_ you both sit there and argue over me like I'm a damn trophy? Have you lost your minds?"

"Jazmine-" Huey started to say but I cut him off with a searing glare, my finger pointed at him.

"You, you don't talk to me. At all." I shook my head, exhaling heavily. "I can't believe you'd even have the _nerve _to imply that the only way someone could have feelings for me would be if they were using me. That is the meanest thing you have said, Huey Freeman. So I don't want to hear from you right now."

"Ha-" Cairo started to laugh but I cut him off as well.

"And you!" I screamed, stomping my foot as I shoved my arms into the sleeves. "You're fighting him while he has a _broken leg_! You're both arguing over me and Maya like we're possessions, not people!" I was practically hysterical now. "WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH THE BOTH OF YOU?!"

Huey and Cairo were shrunk against the wall, giving me a sense of accomplishment. I hadn't ever known that I was capable of instilling so much fear in someone. I turned on my heel, stomping for the door.

"Where are you going?" I heard Cairo ask softly. I glanced over my shoulder.

"Out."

"Jazmine-" Huey started again.

"I DON'T WANT TO HEAR IT! I'M GOING OUT AND WILL COME BACK WHEN YOU BOTH AREN'T BEING MANIACS!" I roared. I threw open the door, letting it slam shut behind me.

Some strong, no-nonsense woman I was. The moment I got to the elevators I let myself dissolve into a puddle of tears.

* * *

_Caesar_

The only thing I hated about protests was when we had to leave.

Not because I wasn't ready to go, but because we always seemed to lose people and had to do a headcount.

"Alright, Cindy was _just _right here!" I groaned in frustration. We'd had to go off searching for Riley, only to lose Cindy in the process. I turned to glance at Maya who, sweet girl she was, had stuck by my side despite all the confusion around us. "Did she tell you where she was going?"

Maya shook her head. "She said she had to pee. Maybe she went to the port-a-potties?"

"No. No way." I shook my head. "Cindy doesn't do public restrooms. She'd drop her pants in the middle of times square before using one."

"Well, maybe she went backstage to try and meet Will Smith," She suggested. "You know she freaked the hell out when she saw he was here."

"That seems like something she'd do." I held on to Maya's jacket so that we'd stick together. "Come on."

We navigated through Central park, which was made difficult by all the people and even more difficult by the fact that it was nighttime. Luckily the stage, which had been made specifically for the event and rose in the center of the park, came up a lot quicker than we'd thought it would. The crowd had thinned out considerably by it save a few guitar players (there were _always _guitar players at these things), a couple arguing politicians, and some teenagers drinking, their laughter floating across the park. Maya and I climbed the back of the stage, the curtain hiding the view of outside. "Cindy?" Maya called gently. No one answered.

"No one's here." I tugged on her sleeve. "Let's go check-"

"-I DON'T WANT THAT!"

We both froze, staring at each other. We could see a shadow pacing in front of the curtain.

"Well yes, I know that. But that's not what is going to happen." When his response was met by silence I realized that he was talking on a cell phone. "Of course no one's around!"

I shrank back as far as I could, as if I could disappear into the wall if I tried hard enough. Beside me Maya's brown eyes were shut, and I realized that she was doing the same thing.

"Look. That George woman; Melanie, Margaret, whatever her name was, she's dead. Yet we have nothing." There was a pause. "Well, she was the one that had the ampscine. We sent some men to go get it from her and they killed her, raided the place, and came back empty handed. Said a couple came with it and they tried to take it but they got away. Probably some bastard resistance people."

Maya and I gaped at each other. They were talking about us!

"The only was this could get worse," The man went on, still pacing. "Is if that damn DuBois girl is still alive. Have you heard the rumors? Thomas DuBois almost ate us alive. He practically got the government to shut down the facility out in Washington, and that's probably the main headquarters. If she has found the resistance, she has enough influence to cause them to revolt. Pesky bitch, I hope she _is _dead." He stopped again, his voice rising. "Do you know how _badly _we need that ampscine? If we don't get it, we can kiss our plan goodbye." Another pause. "Of course! When we set it off, the government will collapse and we can do what we please with America. All other religions will be wiped out. Anyone who opposes us will die." He laughed. "I know, Ryan. We'll get there one day."

The man's shadow disappeared and his voice faded. I swallowed. Maya was shaking beside me, and I couldn't tell if she was cold or trying not to cry.

"Caesar." She tugged on my arm, her voice barely above a whisper. "Caesar, we've gotta get home. Quick."

I nodded. "We'll find the others so we can hurry up and get home. Huey needs to hear about this." I sighed. "I just hope Jazmine hasn't gone anywhere."

* * *

_Jazmine_

I wasn't sure where I was going, but I was gonna go anywhere but home.

I walked briskly along the sidewalk, my hands shoved deep in my coat pockets and my heels clacking loudly on the pavement. My hair had fallen out of its already sloppy ponytail and flapped freely around me. I pulled my knit hat tighter over my dark hair

I couldn't believe what I'd just heard. Huey cared about me? Cairo was falling for me? God. My head was swimming. It was cold as hell and I couldn't feel my fingers or toes. That only made me angrier. I sighed, turning a corner and seeing if maybe I could find some place to get a hot drink. A cup of coffee would do wonders for me.

Actually, a beer would probably work better. But I'd drank last time I felt crappy and look where it had gotten me.

I was so preoccupied with my thoughts that I didn't notice I was walking in an alleyway until I almost collided with a tall, chain link fence. I made a face, turning around.

Damn. I sure did hope I could find my way back home.

I started back towards the street, freezing in my tracks when two shadows stepped in my path on the opposite end of the alley. They were both around the same height, both wearing dark clothes. I winced.

I'd seen this movie before, and I was pretty sure I knew how it had a good chance of ending. I stepped forward, trying not to seem afraid.

"Hello." I nodded as I walked towards them, keeping my head up, my chin raised. I kept my hand on my purse, my breaths even. They stared at me. I acted like I didn't notice.

Just as I reached them one held out his arm, blocking my path. "Give me your wallet," He demanded.

I sighed before shrugging, opening my purse and digging into it. Hey, I wasn't going to argue. If he wanted to rob me, then I wasn't going to stand in his way. I preferred having no money over having no life. I pulled out the thin, black wallet, handing it to him.

Even _he _looked surprised that I'd given up so easily.

"Right." I moved to step past them. "See ya."

"Wait." He held his hand out again, this time making it jab me in the chest. I glared up at him. His friend stepped closer. "You know what? Give me your whole bag."

I groaned, ripping the shoulder strap off and practically thrust it in his broad chest. "Fine. Here." I walked past. "Goodbye."

I hadn't taken more than three steps before I was suddenly pulled back by my arm. "Hey!" I yelled as I spun into the robber's chest that wasn't holding my belongings. "What _now_? I don't have anything else."

"Sure you do." The man, to my horror, licked his lips. "You've got good looks."

I winced. Oh, shit.

"Now." The other man came behind me, his hand inching along my neckline. "If you don't scream, we promise we won't be too hard- OOF!"

I'd jabbed him in the throat with my elbow, kneeing the other man in the groin at the same time. He gasped, falling over. I stepped over both of them to run back to the street which seemed to be in an arm's length but one of them grabbed my ankle, pulling me down. I fell, letting out a scream as he pulled me towards him, sitting on top of me.

"I told you not to scream!" He snapped, his hands moving to the waistband of my jeans. I wrapped my legs around his neck, squeezing as hard as I could. When his hands went up to his throat in an attempt to stop me from choking him I lifted my feet, kicking him hard in the chest so that he fell back against the pavement. I climbed to my feet, only to stop again.

The other one was holding a gun, pointing it straight at me. I sucked in a breath.

"Are you going to cooperate now?" he said, his tone impatient. I swallowed.

A sudden blast went off, followed by the man gasping. I watched as the gun dropped from his hand and he crumpled to the ground beside it, his eyes blinking once before freezing open. I glanced up from him, stumbling across the wall, trying to find my balance.

Sure, I knew the guy wasn't exactly all that great of a person, but it didn't mean I wanted someone to _kill _him. I looked up to see a third person, an old man, holding a gun and pointing it towards the other man, who had sat up quick enough to witness the whole thing. His eyes were wide.

"You." The old man's voice was gruff and impatient. "Get outta here."

He looked at me before glancing back at him. Seeing that his best bet was to get the hell out of there before he suffered the same fate as his partner he took off, running past us into the street. No one even noticed the fact that there was a dead body, not to mention a man holding a gun, in the alleyway as they passed.

New York sure was something.

"Here." The guy scooped up my belongings, handing them to me. As he picked up my purse it spilled open, papers and documents scattering across the pavement. I ran around, trying to scoop them up and doing my best to ignore the body that was less than five yards away from me. When I caught them all and headed back towards the man I saw him examining a small card.

My old driver's license.

""Jazmine Elizabeth Alston"," he read aloud, looking intrigued. I hurriedly snatched it from him, shoving it in my wallet. He handed me my purse and I took it wordlessly. "Huh. Why does that sound familiar?"

"I don't know." My voice came out harder than I'd meant for it to. "Thank you for saving me."

He stood up. He was an inch shorter than me, and had gray hair that was tied in a ponytail at the base of his neck. He also had piercing blue eyes that were way too sharp for him to be as old as he was.

"Jazmine Elizabeth Alston." He glanced at me, a seemingly kind smile on his features. "You wouldn't happen to have something to do with Jazmine DuBois, would you?"

"No." I knew I'd answered too quickly but I didn't care. I put my bag over my shoulder, walking away and trying to block the fact that I'd just saw someone get killed. "Thank you. Goodbye."

"Wait." I glanced over my shoulder, despite myself. He held out both hands, shrugging. "Come on. If you are Jazmine DuBois, do you really think I'd kill you or turn you in?" He jabbed his thumb over his shoulder. "I just saved your life."

"Stop it." I glanced nervously around. "I'm _not_ her."

"Then fine, little lady." He looked amused. "Who are you?"

"Miranda." I held up my chin. "Miranda Lawrence."

"Well." He shrugged. "In that case, would Miranda Lawrence like to come to my place for some coffee?" I must have had a weird expression on my face because he laughed, waving his hands and shaking his head. "Not like that. I have to be a good fifty years older than you, girl! You just look…tired," He phrased, gesturing to me. "You look tired and lost. You should call home. And I live just around the corner."

I was cold. And he _had _saved my life. I sighed, hoisting my bag up. It wasn't like I had anything to lose at this point. I offered him a shaky smile.

"Okay." He put his gun in the holster at his side and I stared at him. "What's your name?"

He looked up, still smiling, and tipped the brim of his hat.

"Call me Reese," He said before gesturing for me to follow him. "Now come on."

* * *

_Cindy_

"Ampscine, you said?" Hiro was turning the metal we'd acquired over and over in his hands, staring down at it. "Interesting." He looked up. "You said the man was admitting to sending people after it?"

"Yes." Maya was grinding her teeth, a nervous habit of hers. Her hands were folded in front of her and she leaned forward, staring at the floor. "I wish we'd seen his face."

"Me, too." Caesar was laying the entire length of the couch, his head rested in my lap. He was staring across the room at Cairo, who was holding a bag of ice to his face. "What the hell happened to yo ass?"

"I don't want to talk about it," Cairo mumbled, looking irritated. He stared back up at me, shrugging. I leaned down, kissing him softly.

"So, what else did they say?" I asked, straightening. Caesar gently tugged on the ends of my hair.

"Just a bunch of stuff about some facility in DC. They said that they need the ampscine to carry out some plan to overthrow the government." He shrugged. "The government's already in shambles, so I don't see what the difference is."

"He also said how Jazmine could probably lead the resistance if she wanted because of her influence," Maya added. She looked up. "Where is she? Is she upstairs?"

"Yeah, I'm working on that," Huey said curtly from the kitchen, the phone up to his ear. Hiro chuckled to himself as if he knew something we didn't.

"Jazmine's…kind of not here," He said, still examining the ampscine. When we continued to stare at him he shrugged. "She got mad and left. But she left her cell phone on her bed, so we can't find her."

_"What?"_ Maya screeched. Even Caesar looked horrified.

"Hiro, we've gotta find her!" Caesar sprang up. "She doesn't know her way around New York! And people are already onto the fact that she's alive! Anyone could get a hold of her!"

"Yeah, not helping!" Huey snapped, still on the phone. Cairo grunted, shifting the ice pack.

"Okay." Maya sat up as well, eyeing them both. "What's going on with you two?"

"Nothing." Cairo grumbled.

"Don't worry about it," Huey answered. "Hello? Hi, this is…yeah, it's me. Have you happened to see a woman with black hair and green eyes pass by? Her name's Miranda…what do you mean you haven't seen any women since your wife left you?"

"Yo." Caesar's voice dropped. "Hiro…did Huey and Cairo _fight_?"

Hiro shrugged. "I don't know. Probably."

"Whoa." I glanced towards Cairo, who was staring out the window. "What do you think it was about? They hardly ever fight!"

"I aunno." I yawned and stretched. "But I'm much more concerned about why someone was at a resistance protest, talking about ways to overthrow the government. We're trying to _fix _the government."

"I don't know." Maya pushed her hair behind her ear. "But they're planning something big. I hope we find out what it is."

"Me, too."

"Jazmine? Hey." Everyone turned to Huey, who was leaning forward, his elbow resting on the kitchen table. He didn't sound gruff, more like…apologetic. "Where are you?" He was silent for a moment. "Yeah, I can come get you-"

"No!" Cairo suddenly stood up, throwing down the ice pack. "I'm going to get her."

Caesar, Maya, Hiro and I exchanged surprised looks. Huey shot Cairo a dirty look before speaking again. "Fine. Me _and _Cairo are coming to get you…yes, we're done being maniacs. Thanks for asking." He held the phone between his shoulder and his ear, picking up a pen and scribbling something down on a pad of paper. "1617…Elder road. Queens. Queens? Jazmine, how the hell did you get out in Queens?!" We all held our breath. "No, I'm not yelling at you. Okay, throwing yourself off the Statue of Liberty won't help us in anyway so you can stop being dramatic now. Hello? Hello?" Huey clicked off the phone, setting it down and shaking his head. "She hung up on me."

"Um, _hello_?" I threw up my hands. "What's going on? Someone gonna tell us?"

"No." Huey stood up, heading for the coat closet. Cairo did the same. "We'll be back."

"I wanna go!" Maya declared, standing up. Huey and Cairo both looked horrified.

"No!" They yelled in unison before glaring at each other. Maya slowly sat back down, looking put out.

"We'll be back." Huey took his crutches out the closet, tucking them under his arms. "If any of you leave, _be careful_."

"Whatever, dad!" I yelled, waving. Caesar lay back down in my lap as the door closed behind them. "What was that all about?"

"Who knows?" Hiro looked impatient. "Everything's been so weird since we got to New York. When are things going to go back to _normal_ around here?"

"Come on." Caesar snorted. "Things have never been normal with Huey Freeman around."

"That," I agreed. "Is true." Maya nodded, picking up a notebook and a pen.

"So, what are we going to do about this ampscine?" She asked. We all looked at her. "Oh, come on! People are being murdered over that stuff! I know you guys don't still want to keep it here!"

"Don't worry." Hiro winked. "I found a safe place for it."

Caesar snorted. "Where? Underneath your mattress?"

Hiro smacked his palm against his forehead. "Damn it!" He yelled.

* * *

_Huey_

The subway ride had been uncomfortable, to say in the least. Cairo and I stood side by side (since no seats had been available for a guy with a broken leg, apparently) the entire time, not facing each other or speaking. In fact, neither one of us had said anything since Maya, Caesar, Cindy and Riley had gotten back home. Not to each other.

Which was why, when we got off the train and exited the subway I took it upon myself to start the conversation back up.

"I won't let you hurt her." Cairo looked at me as if I was nuts. "If you do anything to make Jazmine unhappy-"

"Huey, you've done a better job of doing that than I have," Cairo said acidly, shaking his head. "So get over yourself."

His words seemed to cut into me like a knife. I already _knew _that. Why did everyone insist on reminding me?

"If you were as good of a friend as you say you are," I snapped, though my voice stayed quiet. "You'd end it with her being that you know how I feel."

"Me being a bad friend?" Cairo laughed. "Huey, you had sex with Maya! How do you think that constitutes you as having knowledge on friendship 101?"

"I didn't mean to. It just happened." I couldn't believe I was even talking about this. "You're acting like I did it just to spite you."

"You probably did!" Cairo shook his head. "I don't even care anymore. I'm over it. Whether you knew I had feelings for her or not, I don't care. I'm with Jazmine." His voice dropped. "I really do care about her. I'd do anything for her."

"No." I stopped dead in my tracks. We were in the front of the apartment building Jazmine had given me over the phone. "_I'd _do anything for her. I've been there for her ever since we were ten."

"Wrong. You left her, Huey." Cairo shook his head, starting up the steps. I slowly walked up myself. "You left her without as much as a goodbye-"

"I cared about her so much I let her go without considering how much I'd hurt _myself_," I snapped, my nose inches from his. "You won't _ever _know how much I care about her."

"You're right." Cairo gave me a cold look. "I don't. Unlike you, I base fact off action, not words." He swept into the lobby, leaving me to limp after him. I barely got to the elevator before it closed and had to stick a crutch in between the doors to make them open again. Cairo scowled at me.

"Look." The doors slid close and I stood beside him, staring at the floor numbers as we rose into the building. "If you're mad at me, then fine. I'm mad at you. You could've told me you were with Jazmine." I sighed. "But she doesn't want us fighting. Fighting's always been something that got to her. Like it or not, we're good friends. And I'm not going anywhere." I eyed him. "I'm not going to fight with you in front of her anymore. I'm not going to upset her."

Cairo shrugged, not looking at me. The doors slid open and we got out, walking down the hallway. The walls were painted a dark green, the floor covered in some red patterned carpet. "I'm not going to upset her, either," He finally mumbled.

I nodded.

"I'm not sure if she'll even want to be with me anymore after what we pulled earlier." He smirked. "It was kind of stupid. Fighting over a girl."

"She's not any girl," I said without thinking. "She's worth fighting for."

"I don't get it." Cairo stopped in front of the last door on the right. "You sound so passionate about this, but you've never shown any kind of attraction towards her. At all. I mean, what is this?" His nose wrinkled. "You just feel like competing?"

"No." I shook my head, reaching up to knock on the door. "I don't feel like it. But I will."

Cairo scowled. "Whatever. You had all that time and now you change your mind." He looked up as footsteps came close. "Well, that's your fault. I care about her. And I'm not letting her go."

"Fine." I raised my chin. "Me neither."

"You don't _have _her." His voice was flat. I shrugged casually. The door unlocked.

"Doesn't mean I won't get her," I shot back. Cairo's eyebrows furrowed. The door opened and to my surprise some old guy in a beat up army vest was standing there, blinking at me.

"May I help you?" He asked, glancing between us. I guess with his old white self, two big black guys was the last thing he expected to see on his doorstep.

"Hello." Cairo's voice was polite, much more than it had been just a few seconds ago. "Is Monica there?"

"Ah. Monica. _Right_." He winked at us before opening the door wider, letting us inside. I glanced around, walking through the short hallway before reaching the living room. Jazmine was sitting on the couch with her legs crossed, sipping a mug of tea. She looked up, giving us a cold look.

"Hey."

I straightened. "Hey."

"So." The man held out his hand. "Reese Tyler. Very nice to meet you all. Jazmine here's said a lot about you."

"Wait." I looked at her. "You told him your _name_?"

Jazmine lifted her chin. "He figured it out himself," She said in a huffy voice, taking another sip. "Not to mention he _did _save my life." She winced, making a face. "This cup tastes as if you forgot to take the leaves out. Again."

"The first two cups didn't bother you when I forgot." Reese chuckled. "I'm old, I always forget things. Would you like some more sugar?"

"Yes, please." Jazmine looked up at us as he took the mug from her, shuffling to the kitchen. "Now. Have you two apologized to each other?"

Cairo and I looked at each other. We looked back at her.

"No," We said in unison. Jazmine sighed, rising to her feet.

"It's not like I didn't already know that." She dusted off her jeans, taking the mug back from Reese. "Thank you."

"We didn't apologize to each other," Cairo admitted, stepping forward, his hazel eyes locked on her. "But we do owe you one."

Jazmine looked surprised. "You do?"

"Yeah." Cairo offered her a tiny smile. "You were right. We argued like you weren't a living, breathing human being. And Huey was only being protective. We just got carried away." His arms opened hesitantly. "I'm sorry. _We're _sorry."

Jazmine's mouth slowly spread into a smile. She put down the mug and skipped over to Cairo, hugging him. I tried my best not to gag. Reese smiled. Jazmine lifted her head, staring into his eyes.

"It's okay," She said, kissing the tip of his nose. "I mean it." She looked at me. "It's okay."

Before I knew it she was hugging me as well, her head on my chest. I hesitantly hugged her back, trying not to think about how dizzying her scent was; a mixture or lavender and vanilla. She pulled back, going back over to the table and getting her tea. "Man, this stuff is good."

While she and Reese talked, I glanced back over at Cairo. He was staring at me with the same hard, determined look in his eyes that I knew were in mine. My jaw clenched.

I was sorry that Cairo felt like I'd betrayed him, but I couldn't help but feel the same way. We were supposed to be best friends, yet we'd had so many secrets. If he and Jazmine had hidden their relationship from me, how could I trust that there wasn't more that I didn't know?

For now, I would leave them alone. I watched as Jazmine finished her tea a few minutes later, handing Reese the empty mug. Cairo helped her into her coat and we thanked Reese for helping us. He'd waved it away, shrugging.

"A pretty lady like her could get in trouble wanderin' around the streets at night. It was my pleasure." He tipped his bucket hat. "Come back anytime sweetie."

Cairo had taken Jazmine's hand in his. As they walked out I saw him shoot me a dark look. I gave him one back.

Right now this battle was over. But I knew it was just the beginning.

* * *

_Well. Huey's POV is probably my favorite to write in, just because it's so hard to tell how he's feeling through everyone else's. That and I'm just a big ol fangirl, but let's ignore that. And big fat RIP to Brittany Murphy, who died today. I mean, she was only 32. WTF?!?_

_-Kelsey_


	19. Chapter Eighteen

It's my one year anniversary today with my boyfriend, and I'm sick as a dog. Go figure. So while my head pounded and my sneezes made my eyes watery and puffy and the sad sag songs of sickness blared on my iPod, I made another chapter. lol. I'm trying not to fall asleep until tonight so that my sleep won't be messed up then. So thank you to MzMinni3, MizzC, and Gazebodeathride (LMFAO. That is simply awesome)for the wonderful reviews. Thanks to them I hit a wonderful 100 reviews! Yay!!!Anyways, here's the next chapter. haha.

_Disclaimer: The Boondocks still isn't mine._

* * *

Old Soul

Chapter Eighteen

_"There comes a time in every life when the world gets quiet and the only thing left is your own heart. So you'd better learn to know the sound of it. Otherwise you'll never understand what it's saying."_

_-Sarah Dessen_

* * *

_November 20, 2022  
Jazmine_

Since Cairo and I were out in the open, I hadn't planned on having to wake up early to sneak back in my room. I hadn't planned on waking up early at all.

Only after a night of tossing and turning, I felt the odd sensation that my stomach was dropping out of me. It felt as if I was on a sailboat in the middle of the Bermuda Triangle during a hurricane. And when a sudden lurch deep in the pit of my stomach made me feel as if I was going to throw up every morsel of food I'd ingested in my life I threw back the covers, running for the bathroom faster than a track star racing for the finish line. I barely made it.

I fell to my knees in front of the toilet after slamming the door shut, throwing my head over the bowl. A putrid, foul taste filled my throat, causing my ears to burn and my windpipe to choke. Before I knew it the toilet bowl was full and I was resting my head against the edge of the tub, shaking. I heard a knock on the door.

"Jazmine?" It wasn't Cairo, like I'd expected, but Maya. She yawned. "Jazz? Are you okay?"

I could barely lift my head. "I'm fine." My voice was so weak that a mouse probably could've communicated better. Maya must have thought the same thing since she opened the door anyways. She rubbed her eyes in the harsh lighting of the bathroom, slowly taking everything in. She seemed to wake up really quick.

"Oh, my god." She glanced into the toilet before her nose wrinkled in disgust. She took a tentative step towards me. "Are you okay?"

I gave her a look, even though I felt too tired to put too much energy into it. "I'm great."

Maya leaned over the toilet again, inspecting it. "Is that blood in there?"

I shook my head, shrugging. I lay back down against the bathtub, closing my eyes. It felt cool, unlike the burning air around me. A few minutes later I heard more movement.

"What's wrong?" This time it _was _Cairo's voice.

"It's Jazmine." I felt Maya's hand, cool against my forehead and I moved away. "She's sick."

"Jazmine?" Cairo's voice was right next to my ear. "Are you okay?"

I cracked an eye open. "Why does everyone keep asking me that?" I strained. Before either one of them could respond I bolted up, shoving them both out of the way to reach the toilet. Behind me, Maya and Cairo groaned. I felt Cairo's hands pull my hair back as I continued to vomit, my shoulders shaking.

"Go get a bucket from downstairs," I heard Cairo say quietly, followed by Maya inching out of the bathroom. I wiped my mouth with a paper towel, closing my eyes. I felt his hand smoothing down my back. "Do you need anything?"

I shook my head, even though it made me feel worse. I heard movement then had to keep from screaming when the floor shifted underneath me. "What are you doing?" I mumbled as Cairo hoisted me up in his arms, carrying me out the bathroom. "Stop moving so much. I'm going to throw up."

"Please." He made a face, even though he didn't seem too concerned with the prospect of being thrown up on. "At least wait until you aren't facing me." He carried me back into his room, which I thought was pretty nice since if he'd been sick I wouldn't put him in _my _bed. Maybe that was just me. He set me down just as Maya came back with a large trashcan.

"Here you go." She plopped it down beside me. "Knock yourself out."

I lowered myself back down, staring at the ceiling. "Thank you."

Maya looked uncomfortable. "Is that it? You want some water? Some soup?"

"No." I felt so out of it but their kindness made me want to cry. It seemed like I hadn't had people so concerned for me in ages. "No, I'm fine. Go back to bed."

She nodded obediently, backing out of the room and shutting the door behind her. Cairo looked worried.

"I could run down the street and get you something to take, if you think it would help you feel better."

I shook my head again, shutting my eyes. "I just need sleep," I whispered, pulling the sheet up to my chin. There was a pause.

"If you're sure."

"I am." My head was swimming and I could barely think about what I was saying. "When I was back in Woodcrest by myself I used to get really sick. I'd just sleep it off. Hope for the best." Talking took too much energy, so I stopped. Cairo eyes were filled with sympathy and he seemed as if he wanted to say something, but he didn't.

As much as I wanted to I couldn't fall asleep. Every few minutes I'd have to lean over the bed to throw up more, and Cairo kept asking me if I needed anything. Not only did I feel sick, but I felt worse knowing that I was keeping him up. I told him so between vomit sessions as he wiped my forehead with a damp cloth.

"Don't worry about it. Just focus on getting better," He said. But I still felt bad. By the time the morning came I'd gotten no sleep and was merely floating in and out of consciousness. At least I'd run out of things to throw up. I was vaguely aware of movement by the doorway, and voices.

"…don't know if she'd be able to keep anything down."

"Has she drunk anything?"

"She had some water a while ago but it wouldn't stay down."

I had? I tried to remember, but I couldn't. I felt someone sit on the bed beside me before a set of different fingers felt along my forehead, then fell to my neck.

"Maybe she's got a virus." I heard Huey's voice above my head. "Vomiting, fever…it'll probably be gone in twenty-four hours, give or take." His voice took on a different tone. "You said there was blood in-"

"Maya thought there was. I didn't pay attention to it." There was a slight pause. "Do you think she should go to the hospital?"

"No," I mumbled, my voice raspy. "Don't."

"I think she'll be fine." Huey sat up. "If she's not feeling better tomorrow we'll take her."

"I figured that." Cairo's voice sounded short. "What I meant is we can't just let her starve. She could dehydrate."

"Room temperature kool-aid." When there was a pause Huey spoke again. "What? It works."

"Why room temperature?"

"Because if it's hot it'll come back up. If it's cold, it'll come back up." His fingers lifted and I felt myself deflate a bit. "Jazmine? Hey." I cracked an eye open. "What did you eat yesterday? Can you remember?"

I shook my head, trying to focus on him. "Some pizza, some cereal, some ice cream, a churro, a taco salad-"

"No, only yesterday," He said, his voice patient. I blinked, my eyelids heavy.

"Some pizza, some cereal, some ice cream, a churro, a taco salad…you're pretty," I whispered. Huey and Cairo exchanged glances.

"So I've been told." Huey stood up, glancing around them room, giving Cairo a look I was too tired to decipher. "All that food she ate yesterday? Something could've gave her food poisoning. Better yet-" He glanced around, a look of disapproval on his face. "Maybe it's the room making her sick."

Cairo folded his arms over his chest, returning his pointed stare. "Then I hope it's contagious."

"I'm going, I'm going." Huey sighed, walking out the room. "I'll come back later."

I barely heard him because finally, I was falling asleep.

* * *

_Riley_

"So lyke, lemme get dis straight."

Cindy, Caesar, Hiro and me was sitting in the kitchen, eating big bowls of cereal since we were all too lazy to cook and Cairo, Maya, and Huey were busy looking after Jazmine's sick ass. I finished chewing on my mouthful of captain crunch before going on.

"So basically…Jazmine liked'ded Huey, but den Huey and Maya had something goin on, and Cairo was feelin Maya but figured she ain' want him, so he and Jazmine started liked'in each otha, den turn out Huey _do _lyke Jazmine, but she wit Cairo now. An at the same time he got something goin' on with Maya. Damn." I took another bite. "Deez niggas stoopid."

"It's like a bad soap opera." Cindy took a sip of coffee. "Only, a bad soap opera I'm willing to watch."

"I mean, it's funny and all," Caesar agreed, glancing around. "But at the same time, we can't have half the people who live under this roof fighting. It'll start conflicting with our effort."

"True." Hiro nodded. "We can't afford for friendships to be forgotten right now. This is serious."

"Well, wat we gon do bout it?" Everyone looked at me. "Y'all know dey ain't gon address the issues demselves, especially Huey's punk ass. The only way dey gon get anywhere is if we interfurr."

"Isn't that being nosy?" Hiro asked.

"Nigga we already bein nosy!" I snapped my fingers. "In fact, I gots an idea!"

"Is that a good thing?" Cindy smirked at me. I sucked my teeth.

"Ain' nobody ask yo opinion. White ass…"

"Alright." Caesar leaned forward. "You gotta plan. Let's hear it."

"No!" Hiro slammed his fist down, causing everyone to jump. He looked beyond annoyed. "Damn! We're in the middle of a war here, not some romance novel! Where are your priorities?"

"Well," Cindy huffed. Caesar was trying not to laugh. Hiro shook his head, his expression turning calmer.

"Look." He thrust the paper into Caesar's face. "A Navy ship out in San Diego was destroyed today. A private school was burned to the ground. Everyone's fighting each other and we have no idea who to go up against! We can't _afford _to be worried about trivial things such as relationship issues."

"He does have a point," Caesar agreed, giving Cindy a look. She stared back.

"What?"

"Don't go around trying to instigate," He said. Cindy's jaw dropped.

"No fair!" She pouted. "It's what I do best."

"Well, don't do it." Caesar yawned, stretched. I slumped back myself. "Who knows? Maybe they'll get it right their selves."

Cindy smirked. "With Huey and Cairo being as stubborn as they are? Doubt it."

Hiro rolled his eyes. "We're never going to stop talking about it, are we?"

* * *

_Maya_

I was cleaning up me and Jazmine's room, listening to my iPod and dancing around in a T shirt and some boxers, singing along to the music.

"Dat's a five star chick, dat's a five star chick!" I picked up a baseball bat I kept by my bed, swinging it around and hopping on my bed, dancing. "If yo credit score hot, and yo nails stay fly!"

"Maya."

"I wanna five star chick, I need a five star chick-"

"MAYA!" A pillow suddenly flew at me and I stopped, my head whipping towards the door. Huey was standing there, trying his best not to laugh at me. He was failing.

"What?" I whined, taking out the earphones and poking my bottom lip out. "Trina's part was coming!"

Huey shook his head, still laughing. "Sorry to interrupt your…er…._singing_-"

I knew I was tone deaf, but damn. I hoped down off the bed, turning off my iPod and wrapping the cord around it as I sat down on the edge of the bed. "What's going on?"

"Well." Huey paused before coming in, sitting down beside me. "I think we should talk."

Oh, god. Why didn't he just pour a bucket of ice water over my head while he was at it? I tried to keep my face expression neutral, choosing to instead focus on the carpet underneath my socked feet. "Well." I shrugged. "Sure. Okay."

"Right." Huey slowly sat down beside me. He seemed to be having a harder time getting comfortable than I had. "So." He looked at me. "How are you?"

I rolled my eyes. "Don't patronize me, Huey."

"I'm not!" He insisted. "Honest. I want to know."

"I'm great." I nodded at him. "And you?"

"Good." He rested his hands on his knees, staring around. "Good."

"Great." I leaned back on my hands, wiggling my feet. "So now that we have formalities out of the way, why don't you _really _talk to me?" I sat up again, resting a hand on his shoulder. "What's wrong?"

He shrugged it off and I drew my hand back like he'd burnt it, resting it in my lap. I stared down at the floor again.

"I think…" He seemed to be searching for the right words. This wasn't like him at all. "I think we should be friends."

I gave him a quizzical look. "We _are _friends."

"I know. That wasn't right." Huey made a face. "I'm really bad at this."

I pulled my leg underneath me, leaning closer to him. "Just tell me what you need to say." My voice was patient, but my insides were screaming at him to get on with it. He nodded, my words seeming to give him confidence.

"I meant that we should be friends. That's it."

I stared at him, the meaning of his words finally coming to me. I sat back, examining his face. He looked sorry.

The only thing I hated more than rejection was sympathy.

"Okay hold up hold up hold _up_." I took a deep breath. "You're…dumping me. And we're not even dating?"

"No-"

"Then what the hell are you doing? Because I'm confused."

"What I'm trying to say," Huey said, glancing at me. "is that it's obvious we have an attraction. It's been there since…well…" He looked pained. "You know."

"No, I _don't_ know." I stood, up, my arms over my chest. I glared down at him. "I don't know at all, because you always talk in _circles_ with me. For someone as straightforward and blunt as you are, it's pretty unbelievable how subtle you're being!"

"I don't want to be with you!" Huey snapped. We blinked at each other. I felt my shoulders slump.

"I'm sorry." He shook his head. "I never wanted it to get to this point. You're so funny and you've got a big heart. And you're attractive. Very attractive." He paused, daring to give me another look. "But we'd never work out."

"So why," I asked, rubbing my temples. "Didn't you just say that from the jump?"

"Because! Look." Huey stood up, shoving his hands in his pockets. "You remember that day I found you?"

That was random. I nodded slowly. How could I forget?

"I hadn't planned on bringing you with me. We'd just been looking around, seeing what the riot had done to everything. It was raining. Hard. And I saw you." He shrugged. "You were laying there, so still I thought you were dead-"

"Stop it," I demanded. I hated remembering. He kept going, ignoring me.

"-and then, you blinked. You blinked and you looked at me." Huey was trying to catch my eyes but I refused to look at him. Not when I was trying so hard not to cry at the memory. "And your eyes…I hadn't seen eyes as expressive as yours since…" His voice trailed off. "It doesn't matter."

"Since Jazmine." I lifted my chin, still not looking his way. "You don't have to say it." I bit my lip, finally daring to look at him. "I was her replacement."

"No! No." He glared at me. "It wasn't like that. You are your own person and don't for a second think I wanted you to be anyone else." He shook my head again. "It's hard. It's hard when you care so much about two different people. I could lie and say I don't care about Jazmine. But you deserve to know." He shrugged, sitting back down on the bed. "I do. She means a lot to me."

I snorted. "Figures."

"But that doesn't mean you mean any less." Huey looked up at me. "I thought I was falling in love with you. For a time."

_That _surprised me. I glanced up, chewing on my thumbnail. I didn't speak. I didn't breathe.

"I followed Jazmine, you see." He took a deep breath before going on. "Not literally. I mean, through government files and things like that so that I could keep an eye on her. I went back to Woodcrest, once. It was for her graduation from high school." He looked at me. "I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell anyone about this."

I nodded. What else could I do?

"It was in June, back in 2018. I went and sat near the back, just so I could get a glimpse of her. I knew I couldn't talk to her or tell her I was there, but I just needed to _see _her-"

I felt my eyes spilling over. Huey rarely let himself be exposed, especially emotionally.

"And I did. She was valedictorian, since by that time Hiro had went into hiding. He didn't come straight here. He actually went to DC first, but was almost killed so he joined up with us later that summer. But Jazmine was giving her speech, and she was so happy. She looked like she'd overcome everything she and her family had been through, and she was moving on with her life. It was the happiest I'd seen her since her mother died. Then again, it's not like I had a choice. That's when I knew-"

I held my breath.

"-that I had to let her go."

I gave him a puzzled glance. "Say wha?"

"I'd promised her dad I'd protect her, and I'd been doing that. He said that if she needed rescuing that I'd have to be the one to save her." Huey's eyes were locked on mine. "But the thing neither one of us knew was that Jazmine was perfectly capable of protecting herself. So I figured that maybe the government would leave her alone. I figured that if she was living her life in peace, I had no right to go back and take her away from that. It would've been selfish of me."

I sat down slowly beside him, facing the wall. My voice was filled with disbelief. "You love her."

Huey shrugged. I glanced at him.

"There's no "shrug", Huey." I glared at him, but not in an angry way. "You love her. You love her so much that you tried to give her up. You were willing to let her go." I faced the wall again, my sweaty palms on my knees. "So why didn't you?"

Huey paused. I drummed my fingertips on my knees.

"When I came back to Chicago," He said quietly, staring down at the floor. "You were there. Everyone else was either too busy or too oblivious to notice, but you took one look at my face and went "You look like crap. What happened to you?"" He cracked a smile. "You were strong. You were bold. You were confident. You had every quality Jazmine lacked, and every one that I liked to think I possessed. I knew that we could be good together. Perfect, maybe. I refused to say anything about how I felt until I got over Jazmine, though."

I nodded. That made sense.

"Then, 2019 came. It was exactly a year after the death of Jazmine's father. I was online, checking out things, when I came across an article stating that his only child was in the hospital." I watched the way Huey tensed, the way his eyes closed. "I remember how all those feelings I thought were gone came rushing back in those few seconds it took me to read it. I didn't feel any less for you, I just realized how much I missed her. How badly I wanted to be there-"

"Huey-"

He held up a hand. "For that entire day I'd stayed glued to the computer. I knew it wouldn't be a headliner anywhere else because no one dared talk about Thomas DuBois unless they wanted to be associated with the resistance, so of course she wouldn't be mentioned. Then, almost twenty-four hours later, there was another story." He stopped. I poked him.

"Well?" He didn't answer. "What happened?"

Huey gave me another look. "I'd like it if you didn't repeat this either." His voice dropped. "She thinks I don't know. She thinks none of us know."

I must have looked extremely curious because he shook his head at me before looking away, speaking again. "She was stable, but barely. She'd been found in this old boathouse by Wuncler's pier over near this popular lake back in Woodcrest." He looked really uncomfortable. "She'd tried to kill herself."

I don't think anything could have surprised me more. Before I knew it I was near tears again and had pulled my knees up to my chest, wrapping my arms around them. Huey seemed to have forgotten I was in the room at this point, using the closet door as his focal point.

"She'd tried to overdose. That boathouse was usually abandoned but luckily a caretaker of the property found her and called 911. They barely came in time." Huey inhaled deeply, as if it was taking everything he had to keep talking. It probably was. "I knew then that she hadn't been coping as well as I'd thought. Then again, her father had still been alive the last time I saw her. I didn't know that his death would have such an impact on her, or that all of us leaving would cause her to get so down. But it did." His voice was filled with emotion. "Do you know how guilty I feel?"

"It's not your fault." My own voice was choked. "It's not anyone's fault."

"It has to be _someone's _fault." Huey glanced up at me. He looked so sad. "I seem to make all the right decisions when it comes to diplomacy, but I just can't get it right with you and her. I care about you so much, but I've always had feelings for her. Always." He gave me a sad smile. "You're not inferior to her. Your only disadvantage is that I knew her first. I can't forget that." He stared back down to the floor. "I couldn't forget her."

"What happened next?" I was crying, but I didn't bother trying to hide it. Huey didn't bother acknowledging it.

"Well." He laid back on the bed, his feet still on the floor but his hands behind his head and his eyes staring at the ceiling. "There was nothing else after that in the news or online, or even in the Woodcrest Gazette, which I managed to get copies of from time to time. She was still alive in the system, so I knew that she was okay, at least physically." He looked at me. "I tried to move on. I really did."

"I know."

"It wouldn't be fair just to drop you as if I'd been leading you on. I didn't want to lose you. I just didn't know how to go about things."

"I guess sleeping together didn't help much either." We hadn't ever brought it up before, but it felt right for me to. He looked at me. I shrugged, my arms resting on my knees. "Well it _didn't_."

He shook his head, smirking for the first time. "Not much."

I smacked him with my pillow. His face turned serious again.

"On Jazmine's twenty-first birthday, there was an article about it online. Woodcrest was pretty cut off from the resistance, so that's the only reason I can think of her not knowing about it." He sat up again. "They talked about her father and his influence, suggesting that the resistance was waiting for her to come and take his place, since she was legally old enough to be listed. I knew that after that came out, she wouldn't have much time left before someone tried to come after her."

"Did they?"

"August 30." Huey looked at me. "There was a huge explosion on Grant street, a big part of downtown Woodcrest. It just so happened to be in the insurance building that Jazmine worked at. It wouldn't have been so suspicious if it had happened before. That was the first major incident Woodcrest had since this entire thing started. It was lucky she'd gotten off on hour before. I knew that I'd have to interfere after all. I'd made a promise."

We sat in silence for a good amount of time. I could feel my heart withering up in my chest. So this was it. There was no hoping that Huey and I would end up together. Even if he and Jazmine stayed apart, I knew that we'd never have the same relationship as we did before. It felt as if I'd been jumping on a trampoline and it was suddenly removed from underneath me. An empty, hollow feeling was starting to set in. I'd have to start over.

"I'm sorry." I looked up again as Huey spoke. "I'm so, so sorry, Maya."

I felt my face crumple. Before I knew what I was doing I was sobbing, my fists balled up. Huey, to my surprise, wrapped his arms around me. That only made me cry harder.

"I'm sorry for leading you on," He said into my hair. "I'm sorry I put you through all this." He paused. "I'm sorry for everything."

I clung to the front of his shirt, crying into the hem of his neck. "I'm sorry…I wasn't enough," I managed in a small voice. I forced myself to let him go, wiping my nose with my T shirt as he stood up. "But what are you going to do now?" He looked at me as I tried to talk through my tears. "Jazmine's with Cairo."

"I know." Huey looked somber. I blinked.

"You're not going to do anything?"

"If he makes her happy, then what can I do?"

I sniffled. "Wow. You do love her."

He headed for the door. "Maybe."

"Maybe, my ass." I offered him a tiny smile when he looked back. "It's okay to admit that, Huey. It's okay to talk about your feelings. You just did."

"I know," He repeated. He gave me a look. "And if you tell anyone, I will kill you."

"I shook my head, grinning and looking down to the floor. There was another pause.

"Maya." I looked up again. "If there was a way I could change the way I felt-"

"But you can't." I dismissed his words with a wave of my hand. "And I understand that now." He looked doubtful. "I do."

He nodded, his hand on the doorknob. "Thanks." He offered me a last look. I stared back. "I guess I'll go now."

I swallowed painfully. "Goodbye."

He walked out, shutting the door behind him. I gave his footsteps a chance to fade before I started crying all over again.

* * *

_November 21, 2022  
Jazmine_

I came downstairs that morning to see Huey already awake, drinking a cup of coffee and reading the paper. Everyone else had went out to some kind of rally out in Brooklyn, but Huey stayed home because of his cast and I'd stayed home since I was still feeling kind of sick. I stretched when I reached the bottom step. I knew I looked like crap, but I couldn't bring myself to care. I was just glad I'd finally stop throwing up. Sure I still felt insanely tired and weak, but at least I could get up without the room spinning.

"Hey." Huey looked up as I breezed into the kitchen, grabbing the coffee pot and pouring myself some. "What's up?"

"Indonesia." Huey glanced back down at the paper. "They're all about plastic surgery now, apparently." The pages ruffled. "How are you feeling?"

"Much better." I took a sip of coffee, sighing with contentment. I was just glad that it didn't make my stomach turn, and the aroma was enough to wake up anyone. "I think I'm going to go visit Reese today," I said aloud as I went to the living room, staring out into the sun filled sky. The big windows let a generous amount of light in which warmed my face. "He's nice. I know my way there well enough where I won't be standing around looking stupid." I reached out for the radio that was on the windowsill, clicking it on.

_'When I was younger I saw my daddy cry and curse at the wind.  
He broke his own heart and I watched as he tried to reassemble it.'_

I turned around. Huey was still reading the paper, his brow raised. I leaned back against the windowsill, tilting my head as I studied him. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." He looked up. "Everything's fine." He peered at my arm. "What's with that bruise?"

I glanced down, brushing my fingers against the green circle on my skin. "I don't know," I said slowly. "I've gotten like, five of them in the past two days. It's weird. It's as if I can't even touch something without getting one."

Huey set the paper down. "That's weird."

"Very."

_'And my mama swore that she would never let herself forget.  
And that was the day that I promised I'd never sing of love if it does not exist._

_But darling, you are the only exception  
You are the only exception  
You are the only exception  
Well you are the only exception.'_

I took another sip of my coffee. The loft was quiet, minus the sound of Huey's paper crinkling as he looked up, his nose wrinkled in disapproval.

"What the hell is this?" He asked. I smirked, raising my mug back up to my lips.

"It's Paramore."

"_Who_?"

"Paramore." I set down the mug again. "They've been out since like, the early 2000's."

_'Maybe I know somewhere deep in my soul that love never lasts  
And we've got to find other ways to make it alone or keep a straight face.'_

"How?" Huey's nose wrinkled. "This song is horrible."

"Is not," I said, rolling my eyes.

"You call this _real _music?"

"Any music that means something is real." I smirked. "You told me so yourself."

Huey shook his head. "You only listen to me when you can use my words to your advantage."

"Isn't that how it always is?" I took another long sip, turning the volume up with my free hand.  
_  
'And I've always lived like this, keeping a comfortable distance  
And up until now I had sworn to myself that I'm content with loneliness  
Because none of it was ever worth the risk.'_

"This is for all that Wu Tang Clan you made me listen to when we were younger," I said, laughing at his horrified expression. He rolled his eyes.

"I had to!" he shot back. "You didn't even know who they were! You thought it was a type of duck sauce!"

"Whatever." I sniffed. "Lies."

"Truth." Huey snorted. "You asked if they carried any when we went to the Panda Express that one time-"

"La la la not listening!" I went back to drinking my coffee, trying not to laugh at his expression. He settled back in his chair, the paper flying back up to cover his face.

"Whatever."

'_Well you are the only exception  
You are the only exception  
Well you are the only exception  
You are the only exception.'_

I happened to glance up from my coffee mug while I listened to the guitar solo to see Huey staring at me. I straightened, giving him a questioning look.

"What?"

"Nothing." Huey lowered his head again. I stared back out the window.

_'I've got a tight grip on reality but I can't,  
Let go of what's in front of me here.  
I know you're leaving in the morning when you wake up.  
Leave me with some kind of proof it's not a dream…_

_You are the only exception  
You are the only exception  
You are the only exception  
You are the only exception-'_

I didn't even realize I was singing along until I stopped to take another sip of coffee. Huey had lowered the paper once again, his expression unreadable.  
_  
'You are the only exception  
Well you are the only exception  
You are the only exception  
You are the only exception_

_And I'm on my way to believing  
Oh, and I'm on my way to believing.'_

The song ended, leaving the room in silence for a couple moments until the radio host's voice came on. _"And that was The Only Exception by Paramore!" _He announced, sounding as if he was trying not to laugh. _"Talk about a love song…up next we have Keeshia and Bone-quisha with "Put it in my-"_

I hurriedly turned off the radio, my face burning. I picked up my mug again, heading for the stairs.

"Wait."

I glanced over my shoulder towards Huey, who had folded the paper, its creases neat and orderly. He'd set it down on the table and folded his hands in front of him. "We need to talk."

I gave him a look. "Okay." I took a step closer. "What's up?"

Huey started to speak and then gave me a funny look. His eyes narrowed. "Your nose…is bleeding."

"What?" I hurriedly went into the downstairs bathroom, clicking on the light and staring in the mirror. "Oh, my god!" I grabbed a fistful of toilet paper to try and staunch the flow. "What happened?"

"I told you that song was bad." Huey had come up to the doorway. "Are you okay? Do you get nosebleeds often?"

"No!" I shook my head. "This sucks!"

"Just don't tilt your head back." Huey shook his head. "Stupid people tilt their head back." I looked away from the mirror, the tissue still up to my nose.

"So what did you want to talk about?"

"What? Oh, forget it." Huey waved his hand, heading back towards the kitchen. "I'll tell you later."

I stared after him, shaking my head before returning my attention to my nose. My eyes suddenly landed on my right hand which was holding up the wadded tissue. A blackish green bruise sat between my index and pinky finger. I slowly lowered the napkin, which had an impressive amount of blood in it.

What was going on with me?

"Hey!" I heard Huey shout from the kitchen. "Are you okay?"

I tried to ignore the bruise, tried to push the thought of anything more serious than a cold out of my mind. "I'm fine!" I yelled back before holding the tissue back up to my nose.

At least, I sure hoped that I was.

* * *

_I realize that Paramore is a rock band, and if just the thought of rock music makes you angry then DON'T LISTEN TO IT. Obviously. haha.  
It's okay. Huey didn't like it either._

_:goes to lay back down and make up tragic songs about her sickness on her guitar: Peace!_

_-Kelsey_


	20. Chapter Nineteen

_I basically had to rewrite this chapter three times. The first time because I was half sleep when i first wrote most of it and it was crap, completely OOC. So I deleted it. The second time I wrote it it was _technically _alright, but the emotions seemed off. This chapter, emotional wise, was hard to write because it's mainly done in POV's where it's not in the character's nature to be emotional. And then, a miracle happened: __I listened to an Incubus song. _

_I know, wtf. It was random, but I listened to the words, the music, the tempo, and the next thing I knew I had it. And I must say, I like the way this one turned out. Not because it's BESTCHAPTEREVERSQUEE!!1!111! or anything like that. Because when I was writing it, I could actually feel everything going on. Yeah, I had to get deep on your asses. haha. But onto business...I hope everyone had a great Christmas! I don't really (In Huey's words) give a damn about Christmas, but it's a big time of the year for almost everyone else so whatever. At leas tthe food was good :P_

_Now, thank you to DarkSmile, MizzC, MzMinni3, TRIGGER MIKE THE GREAT, Gazebodeathride, and Darelle the Author for the reviews! I really do appreciate them :)_

_Alright, onto the OVER SEVEN THOUSAND WORDS chapter. Seriously, ya'll. Tryin' ta kill me an shit. :D_

_Disclaimer: The Boondocks still isn't mine._

* * *

Old Soul

Chapter Nineteen

__

"For a long time it seemed to me that real life was about to begin, but there was always some obstacle in the way. Something had to be got through first, some unfinished business; time still to be served, a debt to be paid. Then life would begin. At last it dawned on me that these obstacles were my life."

-Bette Howland

* * *

_November 22, 2022  
Caesar_

"Uh huh. Right. Okay." I held the phone up with my left hand, pointing the remote at the TV with the right. "I'll be sure to let him know. Thanks." The moment I hung up the, the main perpetrator himself came through the front door. "Huey!" I sprang to my feet. "What are you _doing_?"

Huey glanced down at the wicker basket underneath his arm which was full of clothes. "Laundry." He looked at me. "Is there any reason you look ready to give me the third degree?"

"Yes!" I shook the phone. "Your doctor just called with your X ray results. He says you're putting too much strain on your leg."

Huey looked down at his cast, which was indeed looking a bit worse for wear. He shrugged, his eyes lifting back up to my face. "So?"

"So?" I rolled my eyes. "Okay, look. The more stress you put on your leg, the longer it takes to heal. The longer it takes to heal the less you can do. It already looks like you have to wait until January to get it removed. You do want it to heal, don't you?"

"Of course." Huey looked at me as if I was nuts. "Who wouldn't?"

"Then act like it!" I gestured to him. "You shouldn't be walking around doing laundry and other useless things. You should be elevating your leg and keeping off of it! Or at least use your crutches. _That's what they're for_."

"Okay, mother." He shook his head, a bored expression on his face. "Are you done?"

"Am I done? Oh noooo." I shook my head. "You're my best friend and I'm not going to let you destroy yourself because you're too stubborn to let others help you." I walked over, snatching the basket from him. "So until your leg is completely, one hundred percent doctor approved, your ass is on lockdown."

"What?" Huey blinked before starting to laugh. "You can't do that! I'm the leader!"

"Not anymore." I gained a bit of satisfaction in the way Huey's jaw dropped. His laughter was replaced by a look of shock. "Until you are better, I am relinquishing you of your duties. Now, go sit on your ass or something."

"You…you can't do that!" Huey exclaimed as Maya came down the stairs, wiping her hair with a towel and wearing running clothes.

"Do what?" She asked. I snickered.

"Huey's being temporarily demoted while he heals up." I pointed to my own chest. "I'm the leader now."

Maya snorted. "Caesar, I don't think you could lead a fat kid to a piece of cake."

"HA!" Huey laughed, pointing at me. "In your face!"

"Um, that doesn't mean I'm with you," Maya said in a somewhat sharp voice. She snapped her fingers. "Why don't you make Cairo the leader?" Maya suggested. Huey's smile as well as mine vanished. "He has been here longer, Ceez."

"No!" Huey and I shouted in unison. Maya gave us a look before shrugging, tossing the towel in the laundry basket and skipping towards the door.

"Whatever!" She called over her shoulder. "I'm going running!"

"Those were clean already!" Huey complained. I rolled my eyes.

"Maya, come back. Look," I directed to Huey, clapping him on the back. "You deserve a break." Behind him, Maya slowly edged away from the door, a wary look on her face. "I'm just trying to look out for you."

"I understand that." Huey dropped onto the sofa. "But the government doesn't give _us _a break. I can't just let a broken leg keep me down."

"It won't! I mean, you could still do stuff. Just not as much. It's really not that serious." Maya sided up to me. "Since you're so convinced _I_ can't lead, why don't we call a vote?"

Huey let out a groan, falling over onto his side. "This isn't Big Brother!" He yelled. His casted leg was propped on the table. "I don't understand why we need to vote-"

I heard a door upstairs fly open and looked up.

"Did someone say _vote_?" Hiro asked excitedly. The door beside his slammed opened and Cairo jumped out as well.

"Ooh! We're voting?" He looked just as enthusiastic. "About what?"

"Nothing! See?" Huey threw up his hands. "Now you've got them all excited over the prospect of voting on a new leader!"

"OH SHIT! I PICK ME NIGGAS!" Riley screamed, throwing himself out of his and Hiro's room and leaping for the stairs. Cairo and Hiro pushed past him, running down as well. "Wat? Y'all gon block Reezy? Oh hell naw-"

"I vote for me!" Hiro yelled as well, dropping on the couch beside me and gripping my shoulders. Usually the calmest person in the house, he was now shaking Huey's shoulders frantically. "Pick me! _Pick me!_"

"Um, no. First of all," I said, pointing towards him. "No one can vote for themselves."

"Why are we _voting_?" Huey repeated in a tired, yet irritated voice. "I haven't even relinquished anything!"

"Dis a mutiny den, I guess. Damn." Riley laughed. "Dat sucks for you-"

"Shut up!"

"Well, we can't do anything until Cindy and Jazmine are down here, so someone go get them," I said. Riley sucked his teeth.

"I ain' voting fo _none _of y'all!"

"Then I guess you ain't voting!"

"Great." Huey slumped back against the sofa, looking like a two-year-old who just got his lollipop stolen. "Where is the justice in this situation?"

"Boy, boo." Maya was on the opposite end of the sofa, her legs tucked underneath her. "They're trying to look out for you." She flipped the TV to another channel. "Ooh. Sesame Street."

"Aren't you a little…_old_ for Sesame Street?" Hiro asked, grabbing for the remote. Maya held it out of his reach.

"No! And careful." She stuck out her tongue. "I'd hate to call back to Chicago and inform Katrina of your plot to feel my boobies."

"Don't flatter yourself." Hiro shot her a grin. "There isn't enough there."

Maya's jaw dropped as everyone burst out laughing, except for her and Huey, who looked too grumpy to ever laugh again. "Jerk!" She laughed, punching him in the shoulder. He rubbed his arm, sticking out his tongue. Riley cackled.

"Damn, Maya. Yo flat chested-"

"Little boy, please." Maya pointed at him. "I will kill you."

"Okay, come on, people!" I clapped my hands so that everyone looked at me. "Can someone go get Cindy and Jazmine please?"

"Do it yo-self, nigga!" Riley smacked his lips. "Since you so concerned about it and all!"

"Oh, yeah." Maya shook her head. "And _you _wanna be the leader." Her remark was followed by snickering, the loudest of it probably coming from the leader himself. I rolled my eyes.

"Maya, can you just go do it? Please?"

"Whatever." Maya jumped up, heading into the downstairs hallway. A few seconds later there was banging.

"CINDY! GET YO LAZY ASS UP! CINDYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!"

"Well, that's one way of doing it." I rubbed my now sore ear. "Alright, so who's ready to start?"

* * *

_Jazmine_

It was as if I'd relapsed. I felt worse now, maybe even worse than a few days ago.

I'd taken a long, hot shower in hopes that it would make me feel better, but all the steam did was disorient me faster. I'd brushed my teeth, trying to pass off the fact that my gums started to bleed a bit too easily as brushing harder than necessary. And when I was hit by a sudden wave of dizziness strong enough to make me fall back onto the toilet, I tried to blame it on a lack of sleep.

"Damn it." I slowly raised myself to my feet, relieved when the room didn't spin as much, but the relief fading at the sharp pain that throbbed through my chest, making it hard to breathe. I got dressed, careful not to bump anything so I wouldn't get anymore bruises. I contemplated what could be happening as I went to my bedroom.

I would've thought it was pregnancy…if it weren't for the fact that my period had came right on time two weeks ago. I'd thought maybe I had cancer, until I was reminded by Reese the day before that throwing up probably wouldn't be something to occur unless I was actually being treated for it. He hadn't been able to offer much more than that.

"Maybe it's the flu," I said aloud when I had to sit on the edge of the bed after putting my hair in a ponytail. The room had started turning fuzzy around the edges, my vision pulsing in and out of focus. "A…undiscovered, mutated strain of the flu."

The door suddenly flew open and Maya poked her head in. "So, we're definitely about to vote on a new leader downstairs," She announced before taking a good look at me. "Um, are you okay? No offense, but you look pretty…"

"Shitty," I finished for her, slowly standing up. "I don't know what it is. Why are we voting on a new leader?"

"Because apparently Huey's being a bad patient and neglecting his leg," Maya said as we walked downstairs. Well, she walked. I slowly took the stairs a step at a time, holding on to the railing for dear life. Huey glanced up, giving her a dirty look.

"I heard that."

"Good. I wanted you to." Maya sat down on the floor beside Cindy. I came down to stand beside the railing, trying my best to look like I was casually leaning on it, where in actuality it was probably my only support. I folded my arms across my chest. Caesar jumped up to his feet.

"Alright!" He pointed to Riley. "No one can vote for themselves, so don't ask me again. This is only temporary." He glared at Huey. "So don't be a baby. Now." He pointed towards Cindy. "Baby? You start."

Cindy, who was examining her fingernails, didn't even look up. "Cairo."

"Why thank you…wait, _what_?" Caesar's jaw dropped. "Cindy! What are you doing?!"

"Baby, I love you!" Cindy looked up at him. "But face it, hun. You can't lead a fat kid to cake."

"That is _exactly _what I said!" Maya chirped excitedly. Cindy sat up, grinning.

"I know, right?" They starting squealing and giving each other high fives. I sighed.

"Okay, next." Huey rolled his eyes. "Cairo."

Cairo shrugged from his spot on the armchair. "Um…Caesar, I guess."

"See?" Caesar pounding himself in the chest. "Someone believes in me!"

"Um, no." Caesar deflated like a helium balloon. Cairo smirked. "We're just not allowed to vote for ourselves."

"Dayummmmm," Riley cackled. Caesar sighed.

"Whatever. Hiro."

Hiro seemed to put a lot of thought into his answer. Finally, he shrugged and threw up his hand. "Cairo."

Cairo looked flattered. Caesar threw up his hands.

"_Why_?" He screamed.

"Huey," Cairo said, ignoring Caesar's outburst along with everyone else.

Huey gave Caesar a long death glare before finally glancing towards the couch. "Hiro."

Hiro smiled. "Thanks, man."

"Okay." Cairo pointed to me. "Jazmine."

I'd had to sink down on the bottom step, standing up had gotten so hard. My eyes were focused on the floor and my hand was clenching my chest, which had suddenly grown tight. Spots were dancing before my eyes.

"Jazmine?"

"Caesar," I whispered, resting my forehead on my knees. There was a slight pause. I saw Cairo sit up straighter in his chair as he examined me.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," I said softly. Although I could tell by the even longer pause they didn't believe me they went on regardless.

"Maya."

Maya wasted no time. "Cairo."

"Oh, come _on_-"

"Riley."

"Man, fuck dis! I don' even wanna vote if I can' vote for mahself!"

"Fine! Vote for your damn self!" Caesar yelled. "It's not as if you're going to win anyways! Forget it. Cairo, you win."

"Really?" Cairo sounded surprised and pleased at the same time. "Wow. Thanks."

I heard an aggravated sigh, undoubtedly Huey's. Everyone began talking and moving around again. Riley started to stomp past me to go up the stairs, and then peered down at me.

"Damn! You look like you dead!" he laughed. "Who kilt' you, Jazmine?"

"Shut up," I mumbled, standing in front of him and leaning back against the railing. I could hear my heartbeat pounding in my ears. My chest burned. Riley's nose wrinkled.

"Yo nose. It's-" He didn't even have to finish. I gasped as I saw a small red droplet fall down the front of my light blue blouse.

_No way,_ I thought, lifting my fingertips to my nose and pulling them back. Sure enough, there was blood staining them. Only unlike the last time it was a lot darker, a lot thicker. I felt my eyes roll back in my head.

"Shit!" I barely heard Riley yell as my knees gave out. He grabbed my before I could fall off the steps. "Aye! Help me!"

I heard everyone stop. Then, Huey's voice stood out.

"Alright, new leader." His words were obviously directed towards Cairo. "What do you propose we do now?"

* * *

_Cairo_

It was as if one of my worst nightmares was coming true.

"Get the monitor, the IV!" One of the doctors yelled as we burst through the double doors that led to the trauma unit. He was at the head of the stretcher that the group was pushing as we sped through the hallway. The nurse in the waiting room had demanded we wait there but Huey and I had yelled at her so much that she let us through. Not that it mattered. We would've found a way in anyway.

We finally got to a room. At this point Jazmine's body was eerily still. I felt a horrible swooping feeling in my stomach that I knew too well; the realization of a futile battle, that hollow twinge of loss. Huey was beside me, his fists clenched and his jaw set. The doctors gathered around the stretcher that they'd wheeled beside the bed, picking up the sheet underneath her.

"One…two…three-"

They lifted her unconscious form onto the bed, immediately setting to work. One doctor managed to shove an IV into her arm while another cut away her shirt, which was spotted with blood. Another doctor was hooking her up to a heart monitor while still another was holding his stethoscope to her bare chest, his eyes narrowed in concentration.

"I can't hear her heartbeat!"

"She had one when they arrived!" The doctor nearest her heart monitor replied. He hooked her up to the last of the wires and brought the machine to life. Instantly, the line on the machine flattened and a loud whine filling the room.

"Damn it, get the paddles!" The doctor with the stethoscope roared, throwing the small instrument aside before placing his hands on Jazmine's chest, giving her CPR. "Howard, bring your-"

"Got em!" Another doctor, presumably Howard, yelled back as he wheeled a larger machine from the opposite wall. Even more doctors came filing into the room, knocking us aside.

"Back up!" One of them demanded. Too stricken to reply we obediently fell against the wall, wanting to tear our eyes away but unable to.

Howard had hurriedly applied some kind of gel to the paddles, standing over Jazmine's body. The other doctor backed away, his hands dropping from her chest. "Charge at three hundred!" A sudden tuning noise whined from the machine and he placed the paddles on Jazmine's chest. "Clear!"

He pressed the button on each of them, the volts causing Jazmine's body to lift off the table. Moments later she fell back to the bed. The heart monitor still whined.

"Charge at five hundred!" Howard yelled over his shoulder. I shook my head, squeezing my eyes shut and biting my lip to resist screaming. No. This couldn't be happening. Of all the death I'd seen, of all the people in the world…this couldn't be happening to _her_.

"Clear!" I could imagine the volts racing to Jazmine's heart in an attempt to jumpstart it, hear the way she dropped back down, the monitor still whining relentlessly. There was a slight pause.

"Maybe she was D.O.A.-" One of the doctors started to say, but there was a sudden slamming noise beside me.

"No!" Huey yelled, causing the entire room to stare at him. The whining still droned on in my ear like a trance. "She was breathing! She was alive! She _is _alive!" He corrected before pointing to them. "Try again!" They faltered and his eyes hardened, his voice dropping a good two octaves. "_Try again_."

The doctors stared at each other, exchanging glances. Finally, Howard nodded, positioning himself.

"Charge at seven hundred," He said quietly, his eyes on Huey's. I could feel myself shaking.

"Huey-" I started, but he shook his head in one quick, sharp motion.

"Not right now," He said from between clenched teeth. The noise of charging rang through the air, cracking like a whip.

"Clear!"

The paddles jolted her once again. Only this time, there was a beat…then another…I stiffened, straightening and taking a step towards the bed. "Jazmine?"

The beeping suddenly dropped back into its whine. I cringed. The main doctor, Howard, glanced towards us.

"Hey. You guys." He pointed to us. "I need you to do me a favor."

I was struggling so hard to keep breathing myself that I barely heard his words.

"I need you two to talk to her. Now."

I swallowed. "What?"

"Talk to her." Howard shrugged. "Call her back." The machine was charging again behind him. "Just try." He looked over his shoulder again. "Charge at nine hundred."

"I…I can't." My voice was small but I couldn't bring myself to feel ashamed. "I just-"

Before I could finish Huey was heading towards the bed. Within seconds he was leaning down on the edge beside her to take weight off his leg. He looked stern. Howard was rubbing the paddles together behind him.

"Jazmine." His voice was surprisingly calm, a lot calmer than me, let alone anyone else, could pull off. "I need you to wake up." He paused. "Right now."

"Clear!"

The monitor continued to whine. "We can't do it anymore," One of the doctors said quietly. "If we did revive her it could damage her-"

"Do it!" Huey commanded. He glared back down at her. "Damn it, Jazmine! You're stronger than this! Stop trying to take the easy way out! You're not done here yet!" He looked up again as the doctors stood motionless, staring at him. "What are you _waiting _for? Do it!"

"But-"

"If any damage happens," Huey snapped, his fists clenching over the bed. "Then we'll deal with it. But we won't ever know if she's dead. Now _move _it!" I watched him direct his attention back to Jazmine, satisfied that they'd resumed their actions. "You can't die on us. You can't die on _me_. We've worked too hard to keep you here with us and we're not going to just let you go!"

"Charge at eleven hundred!"

"You can do it." Huey had lowered his head beside her ear, his voice dropping to barely over a whisper. "I know it's hard. I know it's painful. But you can handle it."

"Clear!"

"So please." He closed his eyes. "Just wake up."

There was another jolt before Jazmine's body fell back on the bed. For a moment the whining persisted. And then, it stopped. And there was a beep.

Everyone looked at the monitor except for Huey. He was staring down at her with his eyes narrowed, the strength in them so fierce it made me feel like the biggest coward that had ever lived. There was another beep. Then, another.

The doctors all began cheering, high fiving while still watching the monitor in disbelief. Howard was smiling over at Huey. "Good job, man."

Huey looked up, nodding stiffly. "You too." He glanced back down as if he were afraid that if he took his eyes off of her for too long she'd relapse again. I didn't blame him.

"We've still got a long way to go." The doctor with the stethoscope had retrieved it again, holding it up to different places on her chest. "There's something going on with her lungs." He straightened, turning to another doctor. "There's a good chance she's hemorrhaging. Prep her for surgery. You two." He pointed towards Huey and I. "Go back to the waiting room. We've got it from here."

"But-" I started but Huey shook his head, walking towards me and clapping me in the back.

"It's okay." He was quiet, pensive. "We'll see her later. She's going to be okay."

I fell silent, following him into the hallway. When the door closed behind us he took the time to look at me. "You okay?"

I shook my head, leaning back against the wall and staring at the ground. "Naw, man. Did you see what happened back there? I just…" I sighed. "I froze. For the first time in my life, I froze." I looked up at him. "How could I be okay? If you wouldn't have been there-"

"For all we know, she didn't even hear me." Huey offered me a sympathetic look, a rare occurrence. Despite our earlier feud we seemed to be at a truce again. Then again, the current circumstance would make anything else inappropriate. "It could've been a coincidence. Maybe she would've revived regardless."

"She wouldn't have." I groaned, glancing at the ceiling. "We're not _supposed _to crack under pressure! I can't believe I…" I let my voice trail off. Huey's lips pressed together, making a thin line.

"You weren't bad, or weak." He clapped me on the shoulder before heading towards the doors that led back to the waiting room, back to the others. "You were human."

"I was scared!" I admitted, making him stop. "I saw her laying there and all I could think of was my mother. My stepfather…I saw every single person who impacted me and isn't here anymore. And I was scared she'd end up like them." I grit my teeth. Huey looked over his shoulder.

"We're all scared-"

"You aren't."

"Wrong." He shook his head. "I was terrified." He shrugged. "The only thing that terrified me more than losing her was how I'd feel if I didn't at least try to save her." He waved at me. "Now come on and stop being dramatic. We don't have anything to do now but wait."

I shook my head, following Huey the rest of the way to the waiting room. It was only when we reached the double doors that I remembered how to properly breathe.

* * *

_Cindy_

It was practically night time when a doctor poked his head out of the double doors, glancing towards us. We were all clustered in the corner of the waiting room, which had calmed down considerably since earlier in the day. Riley's head was on my shoulder and he was snoring heaving. My own head was resting on my knees which I had pulled up to my chest. Caesar, Hiro and Cairo had formed a small group on my other side and had been talking in soft voices for hours. Maya had been sitting by herself, reading. Huey was also sitting off to the side, his arms folded over his chest and his eyes never leaving the doors that led to the trauma unit. It was probably why he was the first one to straighten in his chair expectantly as the doctor came towards us. I dropped my feet to the floor. Riley sat up with a grunt. Maya put down her book and the others instantly stopped talking.

"Are you all here for Monica Lawrence?" He asked. I nodded before everyone else began interrogating him

"Well?" Huey didn't even give the doctor a chance to open his mouth. "What's wrong with her? What did you find?"

"Y'all ain' let her die did you?" Riley asked, trying his best to hide the concern in his voice.

"Is she awake?" Maya asked.

"She's fine now," The doctor said, raising his hand to calm us all down. "It took a while but we think she's going to be okay."

"What happened?" Cairo asked, sitting up straighter.

"You _think_?" Riley grumbled. "Ain't y'all supposed ta _know_?"

The doctor cleared his throat. "Your friend somehow came into contact with Warfarin." We all exchanged looks. "Are you familiar with what that is?"

"Ja-Monica ingested _rat poison_?" Maya asked with a disgusted look on her face.

"Ew!" I let out. "Where did she get _that _from?"

Huey rolled his eyes. "Shut up and let him finish."

The doctor waited a second more before going on. "It's a miracle it didn't kill her sooner. When used in humans it causes the blood to thin, which in turn caused her to begin bleeding out in vital areas such as her kidneys and nasal passages, along with her lower intestine and her right lung. The strain caused her lung to collapse. She almost drowned in her own blood, and the lack of oxygen reaching her brain caused her to have a seizure."

Maya, Caesar, Hiro and I made faces. Riley was making some kind of gagging sound while Cairo looked as if he were trying not to throw up. Huey's face was impassive and he was the only one who could still speak after the doctor finished his diagnosis.

"When do we get to see her?" He asked quietly. The doctor clasped his hands together.

"She's in intensive care and she's not yet conscious. We ask that only immediate family goes to see her, at least until we move into a regular room. We have her on oxygen, just to make it easier for her to breathe. We don't want any other strain on her lungs or her heart."

"But she should be okay, right?" I asked tearfully. The doctor paused.

"We don't know yet." He paused. "Her kidneys and lungs took a lot of damage. We're going to have to screen them for the next few days and make sure she won't have any lasting damage. Like I said before, it'll be a miracle if she gets out of this with no permanent damage." He turned on his heel. "Now if you'll excuse me-"

"Wait." Huey spoke up, his tone calm. "I want to see her."

We all looked at him. The doctor set his jaw.

"It might be a good thing if you all wait until the morning, or at least until she wakes-"

"No." Huey cut him off, shaking his head. "I want to see her. In the event that she can't make medical decisions for herself I have medical power of attorney and I want to be there when she wakes up. So I want to see her."

"We can call you when-"

"NO." Huey made the word sound as if it had two distinct syllables. "Now."

The doctor sighed, nodding. "Fine." He walked back for the double doors. The moment he disappeared Huey glanced around to make sure no one else was in earshot. Then, he glared at all of us.

"Alright." His voice was low, but it didn't take away from his venomous tone. "Who the _hell _poisoned her?"

We all stared at each other, then back at him. "Huey, I think it's obvious she got it from an outside source," Caesar said in a quiet voice. "Don't you think we'd all notice if there was powdered rat poison sitting in our cabinet at home?"

"It was probably that Reese guy," Cairo interjected, leaning forward. "He knew Jazmine's real identity. He's probably on the anti-s side."

"Maybe she did it herself," Maya whispered. Everyone's head snapped towards her. She looked up, realized what she'd said, and clamped her mouth shut. For some reason Huey was giving her a particularly angry look. "Accidentally, I mean."

"How do you accidentally poison yourself with rat poison?" I asked. She shrugged.

"It could've come from anywhere!"

"No, it couldn't have." Cairo rolled his eyes. "She got sick the night after we met Reese Tyler. She went to visit him yesterday since she was feeling better, and wound up relapsing. There _is _no other way this could've happened any other way. It wasn't any of us."

"Who's Reese Tyler?" I asked.

"Some seemingly nice old man that turned out to be a traitorous bitch," Hiro mumbled. "How did he figure out who she was?

"She said he just figured it out himself," Cairo replied, his chin in his hand. His eyes closed in quiet frustration. "That guy had better hope I don't find my way back to his house, because I'll kill him. I really will."

"We're not killing anyone, not until we talk to Jazmine about all this," Huey said. Caesar snorted.

"Not your call, Huey." When Huey gave him a puzzled glance he jabbed a thumb towards Cairo. "He's the leader now."

"Give me a break!" Huey had to fight to keep his voice low. "This isn't something to joke around about!"

"Who's kidding?"

"If Huey thinks we should wait until we can talk to Jazmine about it then I'll respect his decision," Cairo said, straightening. "However, I will also reserve my right to bear arms, and bust a cap in this man's ass when she tells us it was his fault."

"True!" Riley yelled.

"Ssh!" We all whispered. He shot us dirty looks.

"But for now," Cairo went on. "It would do us best to go home and get some rest so we can get back here early tomorrow. Since they probably won't let us all in tonight. Excuse me, they'll let Mr. I-have-medical-power-of-attorney up." He snorted. "Who gave you that right?"

"Actually," Hiro spoke up with a shrug as Huey smirked. "When I redid our information when we got to New York I gave each of us one. Huey and Jazmine, at least their identities, are legally married. As with you and Maya, Caesar and Cindy, and Riley and I are half brothers."

"You and Riley." Cairo seemed as if he were trying to keep the laughter out of his voice. "Brothers? _Really_?"

"You all go," Huey said, already rising to his feet. "I'm going to go up."

"Fine," Cairo said, although his tone sounded forced. "You guys ready?"

Everyone began mumbling and standing up, stretching. I caught Caesar's arm as he headed for the exit so that I fell in step beside him. "Do you think she's going to be okay?" I asked. He looked hesitant.

"I don't know." He wrapped his arm around my shoulders as I leaned against him. "But I hope so."

* * *

_November 23, 2022  
Huey_

The first hour I agonized. I paced the room, relieved that Jazmine was in intensive care where the noise was significantly reduced and I could hear my own thoughts. Then I cursed myself for being relieved that she was in intensive care, let alone the hospital, in the first place. The room was dimly lit minus a long, lone fluorescent light that was over Jazmine's bed and the light from the hallway that seeped in through the door's crack. I replayed every scenario I could think of; how if we'd gotten to Reese's the first night just a little bit earlier we could've stopped her from drinking his tea, which I was sure had the poison in it. How if Cairo and I had grown up for _five seconds _she wouldn't have stormed out to get lost in Queens, and none of this would've ever happened. I wasn't one to dwell on the "What could've been's" or "If we'd did this instead of that's". I usually focused on the "What we can do now". It was a little more difficult to do that when one of your closest friends was dying and it was more or less all your fault.

The second hour, I looked at her. I noticed how pale she looked underneath the blue tinge of the light, how her eyelashes brushed against her cheeks like feather dusters. Dark circles were under her eyes, an oxygen mask over her face. Her hair fell over her pillow like a fan. I sat in the chair closest to her bed, crossing my arms over the edge and placing my chin on them, staring at her.

The third hour I listened to the heart monitor. I studied every beat, every pulse as if it were my own. It was hard not to, especially after remembering how her heart had refused to hold a pulse, how she'd come so close to dying. I felt so accustomed to her heartbeat now that I was sure I could pick it up out of a crowd if given the chance. Her chest visibly rose and fell beneath the cover of her blue printed hospital gown, a tiny muscle twitching in her neck. Before I realized what I was doing I was leaning over the bed, my hand slowly placing itself over her chest, as if to make sure the machine was doing its job and her heartbeat was real. The soft, rhythmic thump that I felt under my palm was so strong and sure that I forgot to breathe. Her skin was warm under my fingertips. I dropped back in my seat, feeling like an idiot. At least now I was a reassured idiot.

The fourth hour, I remembered. I thought back to when she'd just been the annoying neighbor who followed Riley and I around like a lost puppy. How we'd both missed the bus after our seventh grade teacher let us out late and had to walk home as a result, which led to us walking home practically every day together. I thought about how we'd crossed the line from neighbors to best friends as if it were invisible, like it hadn't ever existed in the first place. I tried to remember the exact moment it happened, but I couldn't. All I could do was remember the in-betweens.

Maybe that was the point. Maybe we weren't supposed to separate relationships into A and B or paint everything black and white. I guess I wasn't supposed to try and analyze how we'd gotten to where we were, because getting there was the most important part. Maybe it was supposed to be this way.

I'd rested my head in my arms again, still studying her. I didn't care how much time had passed. All I did was focus on every heartbeat, willing her to wake up. I barely noticed the lighting change outside, from black, to dark blue, to the oranges, reds and yellows of a new day. At that point I was dozing, out of it enough to be resting but conscious enough where the sounds of the heart monitor still rang in my ears. It was only when I began letting the fuzzy edges of consciousness fold over that the beeping suddenly changed.

With the pattern broken, so was my sleepiness. I bolted up so quick I almost flew out the chair; I looked up at the monitor first, it's pulse rate obviously different than before. It was faster, erratic. It would drop then rise, then steady out a bit before changing all over again. I looked to the bed.

Jazmine was lightly tossing and turning, as if trying to come out of a bad dream. Her eyelids were fluttering. It was like part of her was fighting to stay asleep while the other part was trying to burst into the world of consciousness. I held my breath to see who would win.

After a moment Jazmine stopped moving, but her eyes slowly opened. She looked around with a mixture of confusion and curiosity, taking in everything from the whitewashed walls to the sterile medical equipment that surrounded her. She saved her longest look for me.

I froze. She sat up, her hair falling around her like a curtain. Her green eyes were calmer than I'd expected them to be, and she slowly, carefully, reached up to pull off her oxygen mask. She let it fall around her neck, her lips rising into a soft smile.

"Hey." Her voice was raspy.

I cleared my throat. "Hey."

We stared at each other and I stood up, carefully lowering myself onto the edge of her bed. "How are you feeling?" I asked quietly. Jazmine managed a laugh although it was cut short as she reached up to grip her throat. "Aye!" I caught her shoulders and gently pushed her back so that she was lying against her pillows. "Calm down."

"I am calm," She said quietly. "My throat's just sore."

"Yeah…that would be the breathing tube they had to stick in there. Don't worry, it's gone," I added when her hands reached up to clasp her throat in horror. I reached over and plopped her oxygen mask back on her face. "One of your lungs collapsed."

"That would explain it," Jazmine mumbled, her voice muffled. "I thought someone had cracked my chest open with a hammer it hurt so badly." She eyed me. "Where's everyone else?"

"Home." I tapped my watch. "They went home for the night. It's morning now."

"Oh." Jazmine sat up a bit straighter. "You stayed here the whole night?"

"Yeah."

She slowly slumped back down, staring up at the ceiling. We both fell silent.

"You had everyone worried," I said, just for the sake of breaking the silence. She looked towards me. "Well, you _have _everyone worried. You're…kind of going to be here awhile."

"Awhile?" Jazmine looked horrified. "How long is awhile?"

"A week." I cringed as she glared at me. "Maybe more."

"A week?" Jazmine ripped the mask off, managing a laugh. "Oh, hell no. I'm getting out of here."

I rolled my eyes. "Jazmine-"

"Ain't no way they gonna have me eating that nasty hospital food." Jazmine was fumbling with her IV, trying to rip it out. I grabbed her wrist to keep her from doing so. "I'm about to get me a cheeseburger. These people are crazy as hell."

"_Jazmine_."

"Besides, we've got work to do!" Either she didn't hear me or she was ignoring me. She tried to chew at her hospital band. "That rally that's going on this weekend? We've gotta get ready. Not to mention we still haven't gotten to the bottom of what those government people want with the ampscine-"

"You almost _died_," I said pointedly. Jazmine froze, staring at me. "You had a seizure. Your kidneys and heart could be damaged beyond repair. And your lungs' own ability to take in air and release carbon dioxide for long are in question. So please." I gave her a look. "Just put on the mask and shut the hell up."

Jazmine stared at me, her lips slightly parted, before slowly laying down all over again and raising the mask to her mouth, her eyes back on the ceiling. Her eyes slowly filled with tears. I groaned.

"Oh, come on Jazmine! I didn't mean to-"

"Am I going to die?" Her voice, already hard to hear because of the mask, was made even worse by her tears. She sat up, ripping the mask off again, tears beginning to stream down her cheeks. "You mean to tell me that I have to stay here because there's a good chance I'm going to _die_?!"

"Calm down!" I repeated. She grabbed her chest, wincing. "See? That's your heart reacting from all the strain it's been under, which in turn makes it harder for your lungs to function! So just stop." The heart monitor was becoming even more random. I went on, my voice quieter. "I didn't say you _were_ going to die. But if you keep getting worked up, there's a good chance it could happen."

Jazmine lay down, pulling her covers up to her chin. I placed the mask back over her face, leaning closer to her.

"The doctors really thought you'd die sometime during the night," I told her softly. She stared up at me silently. "But you didn't. They want to keep you to make sure there's no damage from the toxins as well as your seizure. Okay?"

She nodded. I tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. "Good."

We fell into a lapsed silence. I watched as the sunrays slowly leaked into the room, falling over a patch of the floor and the foot of Jazmine's bed. She moved her head to the side to look at me.

"I hate hospitals," She practically whispered. "It seems like every time I've ever came to one someone close to me died." She looked back up at the ceiling. "I don't like the thought of staying here too long. I remember too much."

"Well." I shrugged. "Maybe if you let yourself remember, it'll be easier to forget."

"I don't know." Jazmine sighed heavily before wincing. Despite my dirty look she lifted the mask once again, looking at me.

"I thought I heard you," She said softly, causing me to freeze. "I didn't know where I was or what was going on. I just had a sense that it was almost over." She couldn't help but laugh quietly to herself. "I know it sounds ridiculous, but I thought I saw my mom, and my dad. Even my grandparents were there. They were telling me it was alright, that it was easier than people thought, that I just needed to walk a little further." She paused. "But then I heard you. You told me to come back. I didn't know where you wanted me to come back _to_, but you told me to be strong." She bit her lip, her eyes full all over again. I was afraid if she kept looking at me like that my eyes would fill too, and I hadn't even cried in over seven years. She sat up, her hair falling over her shoulders, her green eyes more true and pure than I'd ever remembered them being.

"Am I strong?" She asked, her face inches away from my own. I felt my breath catch in my throat. I took my hand, slowly bringing it up so that I was holding her cheek. Her own hand rested on my wrist.

"Yes," I said firmly. "You are."

Jazmine nodded, a tear falling out of her eye. I brushed it away with my thumb, unable to take my eyes off of hers. She seemed to be having a problem with it as well because instead of looking away like she usually would, she stared back.

I knew we were in a hospital, that she'd just been dead not even twenty four hours ago. Regardless, I couldn't imagine any other place I'd rather be. We sat there, talking with our eyes, everything that shouldn't be said just a breath away, until the others finally came.

* * *

_Thanks for reading! And congrats to DarkSmile, whose assumption on Jazmine's condition was indeed correct. if I wasn't such a broke bitch I'd give you a prize. haha.  
-Kelsey_


	21. Chapter Twenty

_While I don't mean to rush this, I start school tomorrow and have to wake up at six. And it's almost 11. And I just got home from DC and I have to unpack and all that jazz. Yeesh. It's been a while though, so I'm going to be a good little author and do a double update tonight! (Luckily there was plenty of time on my four hour train ride to work on both chapters). But then I'm going to be a bad BAD author, because unless it's the weekend or spring break or I just have a random amount of time where I can update, they're going to become _really _inconsistent. However, there's not that many chapters left. I want to say...five? Six tops? We'll see. I already know how it's going to end, so that's good for something ;)_

_Thanks to (reads reviews and tries to determine which ones are recent) argghh....okay! BIG thanks to XONewDreamsXO, MzMinni3, MizzC, instantLUNCH (haha I LOVE some of your pen names, they are so amusing), and Koki723 for the reviews! If I forgot you, I'm sorry, but a big thanks to you as well._

_Blah blah LET'S DO THIS!_

* * *

Old Soul

Chapter Twenty

_"It's not that I can't live without you, it's that I don't even want to try."_

_-Joshua Jackson_

* * *

_September 2, 2014  
Huey_

_"I don't get it." I turned to look at Jazmine who was sitting on the opposite end of the couch, the remote in her hand and a look of confusion spread across her features. She was leaning forward towards the TV, her eyes narrowed at the current debate on CNN. Since her birthday was exactly in one week and she felt as if being fourteen meant she should be (finally) politically informed she'd done nothing but watch the news, CNN, and the Colbert Report. It wasn't the best method out there but it was a start. "Why is everyone so mad that the entire government got thrown out?" She looked at me and my expression must not have been the most encouraging since she added, "Well, all everyone used to do was complain when Obama was in office! And now that they've started "fresh", everyone's still unhappy."_

_"Well, you have to look at the facts," I replied, taking the remote from her and muting the TV. I set it down on the coffee table in front of us before turning back to her. "When Barack Obama was in office he had a bunch of people against him from the start, constantly looking for something wrong to blame on him. He got universal healthcare in place, he kicked in the funding for research on global warming and new technology to stop the progression, and by 2011 the United States was out of the red and no longer had a risk of economical fallouts. But when 2012 came and the attacks were made, the government turned against him and said that he'd ordered the attack on our country. That entire "Obama is a Muslim" debate rose back up and no one trusted him. They were convinced he betrayed the country. So naturally he was impeached, but he resigned first and left the short time of his presidency to Joe Biden. Only Joe Biden wasn't even in office for a month before he was assassinated. The elections for 2012 were coming up, so the Democratic Party was pretty much demolished by its turn of events. The republicans, however, weren't doing much better since they acted like complete psychos through most of Obama's presidency in the first place, which led to the rise of the Libertarian Party. A couple of ignorant maniacs on the fundamentalist side managed to convince America that they needed another political party to…Jazmine, are you even _listening_ to me?"_

_"Huh?" Jazmine blinked before yawning. "Oh. Yeah. Something something fallout something something assassination something something new political party. Gotcha."_

_"Jazmine-"_

_"I'm listening!"_

_I sighed before going on. "Well, these new guys, with their new political party organized, managed to scare America so badly about other religions impacting our country that they not only managed to reorganize the government, they began to control the freedom of religion, which is against the constitution. Only when people began to realize it was wrong, they started disappearing, dying, or being exposed as "terrorists". So, since the country is statistically made up of Christians by a large number of seventy-five percent, some people, namely radicals, were convinced that these new political leaders were right. They felt that as people of the right religion, they had the divine right to determine the fate of this country, as well as what others believe."_

_"So," Jazmine started while I stopped for air. "Basically, the separation of church and state was forgotten, and people managed to fuse the two together until decisions on either couldn't be made without both church and state involved?" I blinked. "What? That's right, right?"_

_"Yeah." I scratched my head. "I just never thought you'd comprehend something that didn't involve cartoon plots or taquitos."_

_Jazmine threw a couch pillow at me, which I caught easily. "Alright, smarty," She sneered with so much feeling I was sure she was mocking me. "Don't make me hurt you."_

_"As if you could," I mumbled. "Anyway, with most of the clueless population on their side and the opposing forces being too dwindled in numbers to make much of an impact, the government doesn't have much in their way to completely reshape American politics. They could turn us into a dictatorship, a republic…it really depends on how quick Americans can get their heads out of their asses as realize how wrong this all is."_

_"Is that why Ashley Dihlion and her mom were killed at the farmer's market over the weekend?" Jazmine asked, more serious than before. "Because they were Muslim?"_

_"Probably." I turned the volume on the TV back up just as the front door flew open and Caesar ran inside. We both looked up._

_"Damn, can you learn to knock?" I asked. Caesar rolled his eyes, his hands on his knees. He seemed to be catching his breath._

_"Can you learn to lock a door?" He replied. I shook my head. Jazmine scooted over so that he could shuffle up to the couch and flop in between us._

_"What took you so long to get here?" She asked, picking up her history book. "We thought for sure that you'd be the first one out the door with it being the first day of school and all."_

_"Would've been," He replied in a rush, picking up the remote and flipping through the channels, ignoring both my and Jazmine's protests. "Until I overheard some of the teachers discussing…_this_."_

_He landed on a channel and set the remote down, leaning back. Both Jazmine and I exchanged perplexed looks before turning our attention to the TV as well. Caesar had turned to the five o' clock news._

_"And now, we're getting word on the new background check that is being required for all students entering schools from middle school to universities," One of the reporters, a woman with cropped hair, was saying into the camera. My jaw dropped._

"What_?" I snapped._

_"What does that even mean?" Jazmine asked in a desperate voice._

_"Ssh and you'll find out!" Caesar hissed, his eyes glued to the screen._

_"This act, which still remains unnamed even after being presented to congress over a year ago, is now going through its second trip to the house. If passed into legislation, this would give the school system as well as the district court systems the right to check the background of any child over the age of thirteen without any seen appropriate cause. Faculty as well as workers of the city would be able to interrogate a child based on race, orientation, religious affiliation, or gender, for the known whereabouts of foreign operatives of terrorists-"_

_"Gender?" Jazmine made a face. "And orientation? How would anyone even be able to tell someone's orientation based on a simple background check?"_

_"The woman just said that if teachers or other members of authority felt like interrogating you, they could." I sighed, rubbing my head. "So if they _thought _you were gay or _thought _you were an Arab, they could just pull you aside and you'd be legally obligated to talk to them."_

_"But it hasn't been passed. So that's good, right?" Jazmine said in a hopeful voice. Caesar shrugged._

_"Yeah, it's not passed _yet_. But once the lobbyists up in Washington get to the few people who got enough balls to stand their ground against it there's no telling what will happen."_

_"We could try and protest-" Jazmine started, but her voice instantly cut off in her throat as the front door opened and her father stuck his head in. He looked tired, but his face lit up when he saw us on the couch. _

_"Hey there, guys!" He said in a cheerful voice. Jazmine gave him a look. "And girl," He added._

_"Daddy!" She bolted to her feet and waved with one hand, the other reaching behind her to grab the remote off the coffee table. She handed it to Huey, who quickly changed the channel to some talk show that was on. "How was work?"_

_"You know." Tom DuBois strode in, setting down his briefcase and wrapping his arms around his only child. He let her go and gave her a quick glance over. "I told you the new school uniforms wouldn't be bad."_

_"Why'd you change the channel?" Caesar whispered in my ear. I shook my head._

_"While Jazmine is busy trying to keep up with all of this," I hissed back as Tom came over, Jazmine a few steps behind him. "Mr. DuBois is busy trying to keep her ignorant. He thinks if she knows too much she'll want to get involved."_

_"So what's going on?" He asked, tucking his hands in the pockets of his traditional blue suit pants and staring at the TV. "I didn't know you guys liked The Miley Cyrus Show."_

_"We don't," I said quickly. "Um…Jazmine was watching it." Behind Tom's back Jazmine shot me a death glare. "Actually, Caesar and I were discussing that bill they're trying to pass." His face visibly darkened. "Caesar was saying we should do something about it."_

_"I did?" Caesar asked. I looked at him. "Yes! I did!"_

_"I don't know, Huey." Mr. DuBois shrugged. "It's a dangerous time to be the rebel, even with a cause."_

_"Mr. DuBois, do you realize that if this bill is passed, children over the age of thirteen will be at the mercy of the school system for no valid reason?" I couldn't help but point out. "A kid whose parents came here from Afghanistan could be expelled just because his teacher felt as if he was affiliated with terrorism?"_

_"I know it's terrible, but-"_

_"And what about Jazmine?" I went on; behind him Jazmine made a cut-throat gesture, shaking her head wildly. "Maybe when it gets cold outside she'll feel like wearing uniform pants instead of a skirt and her teacher will think she's gay! Next thing you know you're going to be getting summoned down to the district office because your father's grandfather was an illegal Irish immigrant and you're married to a white woman who has relatives from Louisiana. For all anyone knows, they were into voodoo and would pose a threat to the sanctity of our divine soil. You know they look poorly on interracial couples," I added. Jazmine smacked her palm against her forehead while Tom straightened. He didn't look happy, to say in the least._

_"Huey," He said, keeping his voice even. "I'm sure my family and I will be fine."_

_"Oh, of course. How could I forget." I rolled my eyes, turning towards the TV. "You're _Catholic_."_

_"Now that's enough." Mr. DuBois turned towards Jazmine, picking up his briefcase. "Come on, honey-"_

_"As long as you and your family are safe it's enough, right?" I went on, not being able to control the anger I could feel flaring up inside me. Caesar elbowed me but I ignored him. Tom, whose back was to me, stopped in his tracks. "It doesn't matter what happens to anyone else. You don't give a damn about anyone else."_

_"Huey!" Jazmine wailed. Tom whirled around, letting his briefcase fall to the floor. He leaned down, his face inches from mine. I couldn't help but blink, surprised. Tom never let himself get this worked up, at least not behind something _I _said._

_"You listen to me, and you listen well," He said from between clenched teeth. I glared at him. "You don't know what I do or _what_ I've seen. I don't care what you think you know, I have a better knowledge of what's going on than you do. You won't _ever _know how much I sacrifice for people I'll never even _meet_." He straightened, turning on his heel and picking up his briefcase, walking past Jazmine. "Come on, sweetie."_

_Jazmine stared after Mr. DuBois as he stalked out the front door, slamming it behind him. "He just slammed _our _front door!" I couldn't help but let out in disbelief. "What was he thinking?" Caesar managed to crack a smile but lost it quick when Jazmine glared at us over her shoulder. She bent down and grabbed her backpack, stomping for the door as well. Obviously I'd missed something._

_"Whoa whoa, hold up." I jumped up, beating Jazmine to the door and slamming it shut with one hand as she started to open it. I glared at her. "Why are _you_ mad?"_

_"Why do you think?" Jazmine glared at me. "You made my dad angry!"_

_I blinked. "But he was in the wrong!" I explained, throwing up my hands. "He doesn't think about anyone else! He doesn't care about the rest of us who have no religion to save our asses!"_

_"He's _my dad_, Huey!" Jazmine shot back, making me raise my eyebrows. I saw the tears rising in her eyes. "And this might come as a surprise to you, even though I don't know why it would, but I'm Catholic too!" She glared at me. "I'm sorry some people feel as if Christianity makes them superior, but not all of us are like that. And if you can't see that then that makes you just as judgmental as them." She wiped at her eyes with her sleeve. "If my dad's beliefs…if _my _beliefs are too much for you then don't even bother talking to me." She wrenched the door open, but only because I was too shocked to keep holding it shut. She gave me a cold glare before stomping out into the sunshine. I groaned, pulling the door open wider._

_"Jazmine." She ignored me. "Jazmine! Come on!"_

_"Damn." Caesar came up beside me, sipping on a glass of orange juice. "She told you."_

_"Shut up." I threw the door shut, stalking back towards the living room. "She's always taking things so personally."_

_"You tried to clown on her dad, Huey." Although his tone was serious it was obvious he found the entire thing to be hilarious. "It doesn't matter what he is, not to her. That's her father."_

_"Yeah…but…" I rolled my eyes. "Fine. I was wrong."_

_"It's alright. She never stays mad at you." Caesar clapped me on the back. "Admittance is the first step towards-"_

_"Shut up." I plopped on the sofa while he headed into the kitchen. I lay down and propped my feet up on the arm of the couch, staring up at the ceiling. I heard the refrigerator door open._

_"Aye. Ya'll got any sandwich meat up in here?" His question was followed by sudden footsteps that came from down the hallway._

_"What the _hell _is wrong with y'all?" Granddad snapped. "I'm up here trying to get some sleep and can't even drift off for two minutes without everyone slamming the damn door! Can either of you afford to replace the door when you break it? You wanna slam a door? I'll slam your door…and is _that my orange juice_? And _my _sandwich meat? What, you want me to starve? Yo food at yo own house ain't good enough, hmm? And you _know _I like my daily supply of…Huey! Boy! Why you letting yo beggar friends come in here and eat our food?"_

_I sighed. Today was just going to be one of those days. _

* * *

_November 27, 2022  
Cairo_

"Yup." I watched Howard, probably my favorite doctor, remove the stethoscope from Jazmine's chest, letting it fall around his neck. He whipped a pen out from the breast pocket of his white coat, scribbling something down on the clipboard that sat in a shelf on the door to Jazmine's hospital room. "Definitely pneumonia." He looked up. "It's lucky your nurse heard you coughing like that yesterday and got us to get your x-rays pushed through. Otherwise we might've caught it later."

I looked at Jazmine as her face fell. She sat up straighter, pushing her hair behind her ears. "Really?" She sighed. Huey, who was sitting in the chair beside her bed on the opposite side, looked up from his paper. "I was hoping I could go home today."

"Yeah, right," Huey mumbled. When she shot him a dirty look he rolled his eyes. "Oh, come on. Like they really would have let you go today regardless."

"He does have a point," Howard pointed out, replacing his pen in his pocket. "Your lung function has improved greatly and your kidneys are working fine. There doesn't seem to be any internal organ damage."

"But? There's always a but." Jazmine blew a strand of hair out her face.

"_But_ you still weren't one hundred percent, even before the pneumonia," Howard finished with a soft smile. "And with your lungs the way they are, letting you go home with pneumonia would be asking for trouble. And we don't want trouble, do we?"

"I guess," Jazmine mumbled in a lofty tone, settling back against her pillows and crossing her arms.

"So is she going to be okay?" I asked, resting my elbows on my knees as I leaned forward.

"She should be fine." Howard pat Jazmine's blanket covered foot and she stuck her tongue out at him. "Luckily it's not too far along so we can pump her full of antibiotics to do away with it."

"Can I still use the breathing thingy?" Jazmine asked hopefully. Howard looked towards the ceiling, as if resisting the urge to say something smart.

"Yes." He shook his head, snorting. "You can use the "breathing thingy"."

"Yay!" Jazmine pumped her fists in the air before erupting into a coughing fit. She gripped her throat with her hands and fell dramatically against her pillows. Huey turned the page of his newspaper, shaking his head. For some reason Jazmine found great enjoyment out of using a cylinder shaped instrument she'd been given to help improve her lung capacity. It was one of those things that are impossible to understand about her so I didn't even bother asking what was so good about it. I leaned back in my chair instead.

"Alright, so I'm going to start you on some azithromycin and hook you back up to an IV." Jazmine sighed. "It's not my fault you don't eat anything and have a low nutrient intake."

"Don't _nag_," Jazmine replied haughtily as he walked out the room, gently shutting the door behind him. She held her nose in the air. "It's not my fault the hospital food _sucks_."

"Jazmine." Huey's tone was filled with boredom. "Of course it's terrible. It's the hospital. Suck it up and eat or else you're never going to build your strength back."

"Look, you don't have to eat the stuff!" Jazmine replied, slumping down and snuggling under her covers. "It's disgusting."

"All I'm saying," Huey said in a matter-of-fact voice. "Is that if I had to choose between eating unappealing food and being fed my daily dose of vitamins through a needle sticking in my arm, I'd pick the bad food."

"That's because you don't like needles," Jazmine pointed out. Huey snapped his paper shut.

"Why does everyone keep _saying _that?" He groaned.

"Because it's true," Jazmine and I said in unison. We looked at each other, grinning. Huey rolled his eyes again (he was pretty good at that) and rose to his feet, retrieving his crutches and starting for the door.

"Well, fine." He opened the door and glanced back at us. "I'm going to get _real _food." He closed the door behind him. Jazmine's jaw dropped.

"That _jerk_." She folded her arms tightly over her chest, making a face. "This is so unfair. My body hates me."

"It would help if you ate something," I pointed out.

"Not you too!" Jazmine wailed.

"Yes, me too." I traced her arm with my fingertip. "You've barely eaten since before you got here."

Jazmine looked down to the foot of her bed as she wiggled her feet. "Because I feel too sick to eat anything," She admitted, her voice holding a sad tone to it. I looked at her.

"So why didn't you say anything?" I asked, alarmed. "Howard and the other doctors have all been asking you what's bothering you so they can make sure there's no underlying problems-"

"I already _know _what they're going to say. They're going to say I should stay even longer while they run more tests, and I don't want more goddamn tests. I want to go _home_." Jazmine groaned before coughing. "It's so ridiculous, being stuck in here when there's so much other stuff going on." When I kept staring at her she shifted so that she was sitting up. "I feel so useless in here. I'm tired of seeing the same four walls and being confined to the bed."

"You're only "confined" because the first day anyone let you roam around you organized a wheelchair race on the oncology floor," I couldn't help but point out with a smile. Jazmine stuck out her tongue.

"Those cancer patients _loved_me."

"Of course. Who wouldn't?" I pat her knee. "Don't worry. You won't have to be in here forever."

"You want to know something?" Jazmine confessed, her smile fading as she lowered her head. I nodded. "I don't like being in here alone. I'm afraid that someone's going to find out who I really am in the middle of the night and they're going to come for me while I'm weak and defenseless." She sat back up. "That's why I really don't want to be here. Are you happy now?"

"No one's coming for you." I took her hand in mine. "You're safe here."

"Bull crap." Jazmine coughed again and took a deep breath, her voice down to a whisper. "We're not safe _anywhere_."

"True," I agreed. "But you're safer than we are." She gave me a look. "The hospital doesn't just let anyone in to see you while you're in intensive care. You can only have two visitors at a time. Not to mention, don't you wonder why Huey's been so grumpy these past few days?"

Jazmine really looked confused at this point. "What's he got to do with anything? He's Huey. He's always grumpy."

"He's also nocturnal now." I shook my head. "He's not only getting food right now. He's probably crashing in his room before he comes back tonight to stay in your room till morning." Jazmine raised her eyebrow. "I guess you aren't the only one who doesn't like the thought of you being alone."

"He sleeps in here?" Jazmine asked slowly, her voice filled with disbelief. "But _why_?"

"Well, he's the only one who can. Otherwise I'd be the one in here." I shrugged when her confused expression deepened. "He is legally married to you, you know."

"Which is pretty weird."

"Oh, come on. Married to Huey Freeman." I gave her a sly grin. "It's your dream come true."

"Shut up." Jazmine reached across the bed, jabbing me in the ribs. "I'm married to undercover alter ego Huey, not actual Huey."

"Close enough." I stuck out my tongue this time. "How does it feel?"

Jazmine sat up and climbed on her knees to the edge of the bed so that her face was inches from my own. "Being that I've been "cheating" on him with you, I don't think it's been working out too well," She joked with a smirk. I leaned forward, touching her nose with the tip of my finger.

"You could always file for divorce," I joked back. Jazmine giggled.

"There was a prenup. I'd get nothing."

"So you're a cheater _and _a gold digger?"

"And I'm wanted in all fifty states." Jazmine flopped back against her pillows, grinning from ear to ear. "How's that for messed up?"

I shook my head, running my fingers through her hair. "A gold digging cheater wanted in all of America. Huey sure does know how to pick em."

Jazmine smacked me in the shoulder. "Shut up!" She laughed. I leaned forward again, kissing her forehead before rising to my feet.

"If you put some of that energy into getting better you'll be home in no time." I jammed my hands in my pockets. "I miss you."

Jazmine's eyes softened. "I miss you."

I strode to the door, pausing as my hand touched the doorknob. "Try to eat something."

"Don't nag."

"Don't die."

"Deal."

* * *

_August 23, 2016  
Jazmine_

_I could still hear his words, as plain as day, floating in my ear._

_"Are you afraid?"_

_The sunflowers, wild and untamed, sway around us as they danced to an unheard melody. We were at the top of a hill not too far from our own, the gentle breeze ruffling through the leaves and flowers, making my hair rise off my shoulders and float around me as if it were gently coasting on an invisible sea. I shook my head._

_"No."_

_He knew better, and I knew that he knew better. I forced myself to stare down at my buttercup yellow dress. It was as bright as the flowers that were still hovering around us, as bright as the sun itself. But none of it held a candle to him. None of it ever had._

_I'd changed out of my hot, black dress into my current one just to bring some kind of color back into my life. I'd stuck a white daisy in my hair, one that had come off her casket, her final resting place. Her gold bracelet decorated my arm. _

_The bright rainbows and pastels that had painted so much of my life had suddenly broken and collapsed, leaving the dark and dreary exposed underneath. My heart felt so raw and torn, and I was sure it had stopped working the moment I'd realized one of the most important people in my life were gone. Only when he'd shown up, still in his own funeral suit, I'd felt it sputter and flop back to life. It was still broken. But it lived._

_Now I rested my elbow on my knee as I stared at him, those mere days ago when we'd kissed on my doorstep feeling so far away. I couldn't imagine what I could possibly do or say to make any sense of what had happened. I didn't want to try. As amazing, as incredible as he was, even he couldn't get me my mother back._

_He looked up into the blue sky, which was clear as the sea give or take a few fluffy clouds that sat in the distance. He looked back at me, his eyes hard to decipher._

_"You have to be." He was quiet, his voice more cautious than I'd ever remembered it being. "She was in a car accident that was caused by some of them-"_

_"Please." My voice was so sad, so empty. "I don't want to talk about it."_

_He fell silent, watching me. I gently kicked my sandals off, lifting my head to the sky so the sun could warm my face. For the first time in my life, I'd run out of tears. I didn't know if that was good or bad._

_"I have nothing," I heard myself whisper. I was so soft I doubted even the enchanting flowers could hear me. "Nothing to be afraid of."_

_I'd always known I was afraid of spiders, terrified of clowns. But I'd never known the true pain of losing someone. I now knew there were things worse than objects in this life to fear._

_Without my mother, my confident, kindhearted, compassionate mother, I had nothing. We'd been as close as sisters with a bond that resembled that of best friends. Whereas my father kept more to himself my mother filled the house with music as she'd cooked dinner; old songs from jazz records her parents had given her. I'd inherited her green thumb and we'd both spent many summer days up to our arms in dirt in the backyard, talking and laughing our troubles away. With her around there hadn't been many, despite the crumbling of civilization around us. Now, she was gone, and she'd taken everything good with her. She'd taken everything and left me with _nothing_. _

_"I feel like I've lost everything," I said softly. The breeze blew my hair, in its rare stick-straight form, out of my face. He shrugged. "My arm, my leg. My kidney, or…I don't know. It just feels so…different." I swallowed down the emotion that clogged my throat. "I feel like I have nothing left to lose."_

_"There's always something to lose." Huey shrugged. "Always."_

_"Like what?" I asked before I could stop myself, consider the words that were pouring out of my mouth. "You have no parents. You should know how I feel. How can you sit there and pass this off like I'll get over it?"_

_"Because you _will _get over it," Huey said plainly, so plainly that all I could do was stare. "You get over it. You think you can't, but you will."_

_I shook my head in disbelief._

_"You think you have nothing," He went on to say. "But you have your father. You have your health." He shrugged, his eyes no longer on mine. "You have me."_

_I bit my lip, looking away and instead focusing on the flowers. "I have you," I echoed softly._

_I could see our years of friendship like a moving pictures screen. It was something so special, something that I'd treasured so much that it almost took my breath away. It could be ripped away from me as quickly as my mother had been. That knowledge made me skeptic, distrusting. I didn't want another reason to feel pain. I didn't want it. Any of it._

_"No," I said in the same voice, shaking my head. I could feel my heart breaking as I said it. "No, I don't."_

_We looked at each other before glancing away. Almost simultaneously we glanced back towards each other before looking away all over again. It was me that chose to break the silence._

_"Maybe I should go," I said quietly, rising to my feet. Instead of putting my shoes back on I simply picked them up, holding them at my side as I walked. When I passed in front of Huey I stopped, turning so that I was facing him. He looked up at me wordlessly._

_Without saying anything I bent down, gently kissing his cheek. It wasn't a kiss I'd consider romantic or even one I'd gush over and dream about later on. It was more like a goodbye to the friendship that we'd known, a farewell to connection I knew that we had. We'd never be the same, and we both knew that. All it took was a front porch kiss and a death to make everything different, but nonetheless that's what it all was._

_Different._

_I straightened before walking away, my head bent against the warm breeze that did nothing to thaw my cold heart. I wanted to look back but I resisted with everything inside me, every cell that I had, so that he wouldn't have a chance to see the tears that were finally streaking down my face._

* * *

_November 27, 2022  
Huey_

The second the door opened I had him collapsing back against the floor, his eyes wide with horror. I could tell, just by the realization that I spotted in them that he knew that I knew what he did. Not only that, but I could tell he knew I was mad as _hell_.

"Please, no!" Reese begged, crawling backwards towards the living room. He bumped into an end table, sending his cordless phone crashing to the floor with a loud clack. He held up his hands like he was praying. "No! You don't understand!"

"Don't understand?" I snapped, aiming the gun towards his forehead and clicking off the safety. "What is there to understand? You tried to kill Jazmine. _Twice_." I glared at him as his mouth dropped open. "I'm not a dummy. It became obvious that the first time you poisoned her it was little enough for her body to dispose the toxins on its own, even if it left her in a physically weakened state. It was only by a stroke of luck for you that she came to pay you a visit and you had another chance to finish her off. She was mostly better before she went to see you." I shook my head. "Jazmine tries to see the good in everyone even now when there's barely any good left. But when you mess with her, you mess with me." I held my finger over the trigger. "And I am _not _the one."

"No! Please-" Reese crawled towards me desperately, hugging my knees. "Please, spare me! I had no choice-"

"Have you lost your _mind_?" I kicked him aside with my good leg; his back hit the wall with a dull thump and he quickly sat back up, his eyes wet. Luckily he hadn't had time to notice me wince from putting so much pressure on my other leg. "You're going to sit there and beg me to forgive you like you have a chance?"

"I _had _to!" Reese blurted desperately. "I had no choice! They were watching me, waiting for me…I couldn't let her go. They'd kill _me _if I did."

"And better her than you, right?" My eyes hardened. "Who is "we"?"

Reese lifted his head, his eyes still on the gun. They quickly flickered up to my face.

"I'm not dropping it, and I don't have much time," I snapped before he could even ask. "So you'd better start talking."

"Aren't you worried about someone hearing the shots and coming to find you?" He asked slowly. I rolled my eyes.

"Consider this one of my areas of expertise." I shook the barrel of the gun at him. "Now _tell me who told you to kill her_."

"Fine!" Reese shook his head. "Do you know a Thomas Addison?"

"It sounds familiar." After a moment I nodded. "He's the CEO of Sunrise corp. It's one of the world's leading industries in steel right now. What does he have to do with anything?"

"I could remember a little easier if there wasn't a gun pointed at my face," Reese tried, visibly shaking. I lifted it higher.

"Let me refresh your memory, then." I pulled the trigger, a loud blast echoing through the room. Reese screamed. The bullet had went through the end table, leaving a small hollow circle in the wood that was inches from his head. "Now _talk_."

"Alright, alright!" Reese sighed, the prominent wrinkles in his face deepening. "Thomas Addison, along with being the head of steel, he's also a big guy for the anti-equality movement. He's got power, young man. He's got more power and influence than you and I could ever bargain for-"

"Don't talk like you're on my side!" I snapped, my arm not moving an inch. "I don't care who you are. You tried to-"

"I didn't," Reese said softly. I gave him an odd stare. "I didn't. A man made me."

I felt my eyes roll so far back in my head I was surprised they didn't get stuck. "A _man_, Reese? That's the best you can do?"

"He's with Addison!" Reese wailed. "He wanted some type of metal that he knows your friend had! Some type of stone, or metal, or-"

"The ampscine," I heard myself murmur before I could stop myself. Reese snapped his fingers.

"That's it! Listen, you've got to keep that _away _from anyone, especially Addison. Whatever you do. He's got people working for him, tons. One of them came to my apartment the evening before I found Jazmine and told me that I was to help them, or he'd expose my association with the resistance and have me killed."

I glared at him. "You're a part of the resistance?" My scowl deepened. "And you _double crossed _us?"

"Yes! No!" Reese shook his head. "I had no choice. He would've just killed me and gotten it some other way-"

"What was his name?" I asked. He stiffened.

"His…name?"

"He did have one of those, right?"

"I-" Reese opened his mouth before letting it shut again. He bit his lip, as if trying to concentrate. I shook my head, almost sympathetically.

Almost.

"Not good enough, man," I said, holding up the gun again and pointing it straight to his face. "Not good enough."

"Wait-"

_BANG._

I aimed but Reese had leapt up too quickly, knocking into me and throwing me off balance. I spun around as he raised a gun of his own.

BANG

"Damn it!" I'd jumped out of the way just in time, only it was at the expense of my leg. I felt a jolting sensation shoot through it as I landed on my side but I ignored it, pointing my gun upwards so that it was aimed straight in his face. I pulled the trigger again.

_Bang._

I watched him open his mouth as if to speak before he fell, slumping against the wall. I tore my eyes away and wrinkling my nose in disgust. "Coward." I replaced my gun at my side and took out a cloth, slowly crawling to my feet. I limped as quickly as I could back to the front door, being careful not to touch Reese's body. I used the cloth to open the door and instead of heading for the elevators I took the stairs at the end of the hallway. I tried to clear my thoughts as I walked (more like slumped) down the steps, doing my best not to mess up my leg worse than I already seemed to have done.

It wasn't that I'd wanted to kill him; after all, what kind of person went around looking for reasons to take someone's life? At the same time though, I wasn't willing to let him live after he'd double crossed us once. Who wasn't to say he'd try it again with someone else, or even worse: that he wouldn't come after us with people from the opposite team?

The fact that murder was easier to get away with this day and age was either a good or a bad thing, I hadn't decided yet. It wasn't as if he hadn't brought it on himself. Now I just had to figure out who was after the ampscine as well as the rest of us.

When I reached the first floor I could see a trio of cops heading for the elevators. Adjusting my coat so that it was covering my weapon I walked past casually, strolling along like I didn't have a care in the world.

Which I guess I didn't _now_.

"Excuse me? Sir?" I looked up as one of the officers noticed me. His eyes were filled with questions. I straightened. "Do you live on the sixth floor?"

I shook my head. "No, sir." He turned away and I continued for the exit, my hands in my pockets. "Just visiting."

* * *

_Yay? Nay? Aye bay bay? (Anyone remember that song? It was so ignorant it was hilarious_

_I hope you enjoyed it. please, review! :D_

_-Kelsey_


	22. Chapter Twenty One

_This chapter...was twenty pages long. This chapter was also very hard for me to do. I'm not sure if I like it yet. I'm not sure if you'll like it yet. I'm not even sure if the actual characters would like this chapter. It might make you angry. or sad. Or press that green review button and say "Kelsey, you's a bitch ass nigga." (Do it. I dare you. I'd laugh. A lot). But regardless, this chapter was necessary, even if it won't seem that way._

_I don't have much else to say because I said it in the previous author's notes, so yeah. And no thank yous because YOU ALL SUCK. Kidding! Like I also said, I'm putting up two chapters today and the other one only went up five minutes ago, so yeah. But thank you to those who may be reading now? :P_

_Disclaimer:...:snore:_

* * *

Old Soul

Chapter Twenty-One

_"From now on, you can expect that I'm gonna show up. Even if I yell. Even if you yell. I'm always going to show up." _

_-Patrick Dempsey_

* * *

_December 7, 2022  
Jazmine_

It was sunny. I took that to be a good sign.

I swung my feet over the edge of the hospital bed and stared at the ceiling, my hands resting on my stomach and my ponytail falling over my shoulder. Cindy had said that she was sick of my damn black leather jacket so she'd refused to send it over when she and Huey came to pick me up. Instead I had a denim one. I also had on a simple green shirt, some jeans, and a pair of tan hiking boots that I knew for a fact weren't mine. I didn't care; after being forced to wear a hospital gown for the past two weeks I felt as if I looked so good I could go to the Oscars dressed like this. I looked over my shoulder as I heard Cindy shuffle into the room, papers in her hands. I grinned.

"Are those the discharge papers?" I asked. She nodded, grinning.

"Yup."

"Thank god." I hoped off the bed, stretching. "I was so sick of being constantly cold due to my backless gown-"

Cindy seemed like she was trying not to laugh at me. "You mean to tell me that you were poisoned, almost died, had to have surgery to repair your lung and intestine, caught pneumonia, almost died _again_-" His fingers were up as he ticked off each event. "-and the only thing you can be grateful about is that you don't have to wear a backless gown?"

"Yup. Oh, wait! There's more!" I snapped my fingers. "_And_ the food. I was so tired of the food."

Cindy rolled her eyes, lifting my small duffel bag off the foot of the bed and ignoring my protests. "It was hard!" I whined, following her out of the room. "They tried to feed me something they said was chicken. That mess wasn't chicken! And then I tried to pay Huey to bring me a double bacon cheeseburger and all he said was that he wasn't going to be responsible for killing me!"

Cindy shook her head. Being that her shoulders were shaking I was _sure s_he was laughing now. "You tried to bribe all of us, Jazz. Even the nurses. Evenyour _surgeon_."

"No one understood my pain," I moaned dramatically, flopping against the wall.

"Careful. You'd hate it if your doctor noticed that and decided maybe you're leaving a bit too early." Immediately I straightened, hastening my steps so that I was now walking side-by-side with her. "He already told me down in the lobby that he thought you should've stayed at least four more days. He's cute," She added with a grin.

"He wouldn't have been so cute anymore if I would've had to stay longer. I would've died for sure," I mumbled under my breath, pausing as we came to the elevator. Cindy mashed the down button with her thumb and flashed me a dirty look. I held up my hands, shrugging.

"Sorry!" I let them drop to my side, facing the elevator doors. "I forgot everyone was so _touchy_."

"Touchy?" Cindy shook his head as if trying not to yell. Not that he would yell at me anyways. "You almost died. We were all worried about you and then we had to take turns seeing you since you could only have two visitors at a time and Huey hogged all the damn time." The elevator doors opened and we stepped on. I hit the button for the bottom floor and they slid closed. "It was kind of funny, actually. He and Cairo got into it at one point. Those two are hilarious."

"Yes. _Very _funny," I mumbled dryly. Glancing down I was distracted by a sudden twinkling that came from Cindy's hand. In fact…I squinted, my eyes widening and a loud gasp erupting from my throat. Cindy looked horrified.

"What?" She dropped my stuff and grabbed my shoulders. "What's wrong? Do you need me to call someone? Can you breathe? Is it-"

"You're…" I shook my head, a grin spreading over my face. "You're engaged."

Cindy slowly let go of me. It took a moment for my words to sink in and she smiled as well. "Well, yeah." She made a face. "Sort of."

I squealed, throwing my arms around her neck. "That's so cool! I'm so happy for you!"

"Now _I _can't breathe!" Cindy whimpered. I let her go as the doors opened and retrieved my bag before she could get it again. We stepped off, walking down the long corridor towards the front desk. "I mean, we haven't set a date or anything with everything going on. Obviously. It's like, an engaged-to-be-engaged thing." I snorted. "But when it's on, you will definitely be my maid of honor."

"Really?" I smiled at her. "Aww, Cindy!"

"Well, you were my best friend! Before…you know." She beamed at me. "We haven't had the most time in the world to start over, but you're _still _my best friend."

"You've _always _been my best friend." I wiped my eyes with my sleeve. This was so _touching_. "Always." Cindy let out a small noise of her own and I dropped my bag again, hugging her. She hugged me.

"Um…are you two done now?" We looked up to see Huey looking at us with a bored expression. "I would like to leave, you know. Sometime today."

"Huey thinks it's irrational," Cindy explained, rolling her eyes and getting my bag all over again. I gave her a look but she ignored it. "He thinks that there's no point in being engaged if we don't plan on getting married anytime soon."

"Sure there is." I giggled. "You get to wear shiny jewelry."

"True!" Cindy and I fist pumped while Huey let out a long, weary sigh. "I told his ass that and he went all on this lecture about females and jewelry. I was like whateva playa."

"I bet you were." The three of us finally began for the front doors after I said my final goodbyes to a few of the staff. I sighed with contentment as we stepped into the late morning sunshine, not even caring that it was freezing, my nose was already starting to run because of it, and my eyes were watering. I barely had time to bask in the fact that I was even alive to feel all this before I was pulled into a bone-crushing hug.

"Ow! _Shit_!"

"Jazmine!" I heard Maya scream in my ear, making me squeal in surprise. "I'm so glad you're out!"

"Can we hurry dis _up_?" Riley growled from a ways down the sidewalk, crushing his arms against his torso and looking mad as hell. Just seeing his expression made me burst out laughing. I'd missed him. "Gotta nigga bout ta freeze ta death!"

"Quit whining," Hiro said, rolling his eyes. Cairo was standing beside him, reading some kind of paper. "You came from the "Windy City". How the hell are you not used to this?"

"He's used to it. He just feels like complaining." Caesar was standing beside Riley and had his hands tucked in his coat pockets. His hair was stuffed underneath a big baggy hat. "All Riley could talk about was how you were coming home today-"

"Shut up! Ain' no one ask you all dat," Riley shot back. Huey shook his head while I looked at everyone.

"Why'd you all come?" I asked. Cindy linked arms with me, pinching my shoulder.

"Because we missed you, stupid!" She rolled her eyes. "What kind of question is that?"

"Ignore them," Cairo snorted as the eight of us walked down the street. He took my bag from Cindy with ease and held it behind his shoulder with one hand, wrapping his free arm around my shoulders so that I was resting my head on his shoulder as we walked. He thrust a flyer in my face. "Your first assignment. Feast your eyes upon _this_."

I took the flyer from him and scanned it, my brow knotting. "A charity ball?" I looked up at him. "Really?"

"Not _now_," Huey snapped, coming up from behind us and snatching it from my grasp, continuing past us. "We _said _that, Cairo."

"I was mentioning it!" He snapped, sucking his teeth. "I wasn't going to go into detail yet! Stop being such an ass," He mumbled under his breath.

"What's going on?" I asked, curious. Cindy had come back up on my other side and shook her head. She winked.

"We'll tell you when we get home." She shrugged when I gave her a look. "Well we can't tell you _now_."

"Why not?" I practically whined. Further up at the corner of an intersection Huey was arguing with Riley about something or another. Cindy shrugged.

"You'll see."

* * *

_Cairo_

"Thomas Mitchell Addison." Jazmine looked up from the invitation I'd given to her to read when we'd gotten home, giving me a confused look. "Who is he?"

"That's what we're trying to find out," Caesar explained from his spot on the arm of the couch. His arms were around Cindy's shoulders and she was leaning into his side. "He's the CEO of the steel industry, and apparently that Reese guy mentioned him being a major part of the anti-movement when Huey talked to him."

I watched Jazmine glance towards Huey. It was funny to observe them, in a way. Mostly since most of their conversations seemed to involve non verbal communication. Huey, who was sitting in the armchair adjacent to the couch with his leg propped up gave her a look of his own.

"Yes?"

"When did Reese tell you that?" Jazmine asked. Huey shifted uncomfortably.

"You know." He shrugged, looking up at the ceiling in a "why me?" kind of way. "Before I killed him."

"You _killed _him?!" Jazmine choked.

"Well, I sure wasn't going to _not _kill him!" He shot back. "The guy put us all in danger."

"There's _always _another way," Jazmine pointed out. I could tell by the way Huey's eyes flashed, the way his jaw set, that he was probably one step away from saying something he'd regret. Sure enough…

"Really?" He asked in a venomous tone. "Why don't you go ask Duey White what he thinks about that."

Jazmine looked like she'd been slapped. She quickly closed her mouth and looked away, no doubt to prevent herself from crying. I glared at Huey while Hiro hurriedly jumped in to keep them from going any further.

"Thomas Addison is from Detriot and birthday is Friday, the ninth," He explained, cleaning his glasses with the hem of his T shirt. "He's having a fortieth birthday party that night, but he's been in New York since Monday. He's hosting a charity ball here tonight to raise funds for something or another-"

"For the progression of segregation everywhere," Maya mumbled. "He's such a douche bag."

"Thank you for pointing that out, Maya." Hiro shook his head. "We are all aware that Thomas Addison is in fact a douche bag."

"Well, ain't it obvious why he havin it here?" Riley asked. Caesar and I looked at each other.

"Um, no?" I scratched my head. "Why is he having it here?"

"Cause, man! You know his ass is divorced and all da broke bitches live in Detroit!" Riley replied.

"Watch it, nigga." Maya glared at him. "I was raised in Detroit."

"Well, you's a broke bitch! But forreal tho!" Riley went on, ignoring everyone as they sucked their teeth and rolled their eyes. Maya stuck out her tongue. "He tryna find him a good one here in New York to take to da crib! Cause money only marries money fo a reason; don' no one want some broke ass nigga when dey a multimillionaire for dem to be spendin' all dey cash, maxing out all dey cards…for you know it dey asses out in tha street lookin dumb as hell cause they got a gold diggin-"

"Stop." Huey held up a hand. "Seriously. Just…stop."

"You're done." Caesar was trying not to laugh and failing miserably.

"So what, we're going to this charity ball thingy?" Jazmine asked, still visibly upset. I nodded.

"Yup."

"How did we even get invited? This doesn't seem to be like something for lower class people like us-"

"Speak for yourself, son!" Riley sucked his teeth. "You da poor motha fucka-"

"We didn't get invited," Hiro stated plainly. "It's by invitation only. Luckily, some guy from the resistance-"

"Devon," I reminded him.

"Right! Devon…he got one due to being a stockbroker who's worked with Addison's people before. He's basically a double agent, so he managed to get more of them. We won't be the only resistance people in there."

"We're going to see what we can find out about Addison," I added. "Since he's the leader of steel around here Huey suspects there's a connection between him and the ampscine."

"Ah." Jazmine flopped back against the sofa, tucking her legs underneath her. "So who's going and who's staying home?"

"That's the fun part!" Cindy said brightly. "This is the one thing we _all _get to go to. So we don't have to break out those damn straws-"

"We don't even _have _the straws since Riley's ass threw them out the window last time we used them in a fit of anger," Hiro reminded her. "We would've had to flip a coin or some shit like that."

"It depends." I gave Jazmine a concerned look. "Are you up to going?"

Jazmine rolled her eyes. "I was stuck in a hospital bed for two weeks. I think I've done enough resting."

"Yay!" Cindy and Maya cheered.

"Oh my god, we found you the perfect dress!" Maya gushed.

"And the shoes!" Cindy added excitedly.

"And the handbag-"

"Oh, and her hairstyle-"

"And-"

"You do remember the point of going, right?" Huey asked loudly so that he could be heard over their excitement. Jazmine looked a bit scared. Not that I blamed her; women were insane when it came to that kind of thing. "This isn't some social thing. We're going to-"

"Blah blah find out about Addison and the ampscine, la dee da dee da, stop being such a fun sucker!" Maya replied. "Geez."

"You're right. I _am _a fun sucker." Huey rolled his eyes. "If that's what it takes to remind you what this is really about-"

"Whateva."

"Everyone be ready by seven-" I said just as Huey went "Everyone be ready by six." We both froze and glared at each other.

"The Ball starts at eight, Cairo," Huey said slowly, as if talking to a child. "It's near Stanton Island. We can't just breeze out at seven if we're actually going to _drive_ through traffic and get there on time!"

"Well six is way too early, _Huey_," I shot back. Everyone was looking between us as if there was a ping pong match going on. "We can't get there so early that it draws attention. Besides, haven't you ever heard of being fashionably late?"

"That doesn't work with the power elite!" Huey snapped.

"Well being early doesn't work either!" I bellowed.

"Alright, _alright_!" Caesar shook his head. "Come on. We'll leave at six-thirty." He looked between us both. "_Okay_?"

I gave him a curt nod. Huey exhaled through his nose and nodded as well.

"Good." Caesar stood up. "I'm going to the store. Who needs something?"

"Oooh, I wanna go!" Cindy jumped up as well.

"Get me sum-"

"No alcohol," Caesar said bluntly. Riley sucked his teeth.

"Nevermind."

"Get me-" I started, but he cut me off even quicker.

"I'm not buying you cigarettes," He added. I rolled my eyes.

"Fine." I was so annoyed with Huey at this point that I didn't even have the patience to keep my attitude in check. "I'll get my own damn cigarettes."

"Actually," Jazmine said in a small voice, wincing. "I'm not supposed to be around too much smoke." I gave her a horrified look. "My lungs and all."

"Yeah. You wouldn't want to poison your own girlfriend's fragile lungs, would you?" Huey asked sarcastically. I glared at him along with Jazmine. Hiro's eyebrow lifted.

"Oh! So you two _do _go out!" He scratched his chin. "Odd. I always thought she liked-"

Cindy elbowed him in the gut, causing him to double over in pain. "Shuddafuckup!" She mumbled hastily, straightening. I pinched the bridge of my nose, closing my eyes.

"Okay, _fine_. We're leaving at six thirty." I flopped down on the loveseat as everyone else went back to doing their own thing; Cindy and Caesar disappeared out the front door while Hiro went back up to his room. Riley, Maya and Jazmine went into the kitchen. I turned towards Huey.

"What," I hissed. "Is your _problem_?"

"I don't have a problem," Huey stated coolly.

"Real food!" I heard Jazmine squeal from the kitchen. "Om nom nom!" Riley said something in response and they both started laughing. When Huey cleared his throat it brought me back to reality.

"Howard said that she's not supposed to be eating much dairy right now, and for her to cool it with all the meat," He said quietly, all anger gone from his voice. "She's supposed to eat a healthier diet and eliminate that kind of stuff, but she's going to try not to. Make sure you stop her." I gave him a confused look. "It could mess with her digestive tract. And if she goes back to the hospital I'm blaming you." He stood up, taking his crutches off the wall beside him and tucking them under his arms, wincing. I watched him go down the hallway before I realized that just like that he'd gotten the last word.

I shrugged before peeking into the kitchen. "Drop the cheese!" I snapped. Jazmine, who already had the table heaped with food, let out a tiny squeak. Riley snorted. Maya laughed.

"More fo me, nigga!"

I guess Huey knew her a lot better than I'd given him credit for.

* * *

_Hiro_

Women and their damn clothes.

"Cindy! Jazmine! Maya! Hurry up!" I shouted up the stairs, straightening my tie. I'd gotten so used to dressing in jeans and sneakers that not only had us guys had to go out and rent tuxedos we even had to go buy ties. There hadn't been one single tie in the entire house. It was ridiculous.

And the shoes? Don't even get me started on the shoes.

It was six thirty exactly and all of us were waiting downstairs, except for the girls. Even _Riley _was ready before them, which almost never happened.

"What's taking them so long?" Cairo said impatiently.

"Dey needs ta hurry their asses up," Riley mumbled. "Aye!" He yelled. "Ya'll broads takin all day! Hurry up!"

"Women like these kind of things," Huey said quietly, checking his watch. "Dressing up is something that we don't ever have to do, so they probably just want to use the opportunity to the fullest."

"Since when are you such an expert on women?" Cairo asked. Luckily he was teasing. At least I hoped so. I didn't think anyone was in the mood for another argument. Huey shrugged.

"It's just common observation. If you use more positive encouragement instead of screaming at them they'd probably come down quicker."

"Really?" Caesar grinned. "Go for it, then."

Huey looked pained. It might've been because he wasn't using his crutches and had managed to find a pair of dress pants that covered his leg cast. The only way someone would notice his leg was if they stared too long at his foot, and even then it wasn't that serious. "Really?"

"Sure." I couldn't help but join in. "If you're such an expert."

Huey shook his head and slowly rose to his feet, walking to the stairs and holding on to the banister. "Cindy. Jazmine. Maya." He looked down as if thinking of the right words to say before glancing back up. "Are you ready? We're all waiting to see how you look."

Not even a second after he finished the door to Maya and Jazmine's room flew open. We all tilted our heads to the side, gaping at Huey. He straightened his tie, a smug look on his face.

"Told you."

Maya, Cindy, and Jazmine all piled out the room, holding their handbags and the bottoms of their dresses up in one hand as the descended the stairs. I couldn't help but stare at them.

They might have been my friends, but I _was _a man.

Maya was wearing a dark green gown made of some satiny looking material that touched the floor. Her hair was pulled back, the back falling down in dark, glossy curls. Jazmine's gown was black and white and her hair was in some fancy side twist, only it was more like a ponytail since the majority of her hair came out of the middle and fell over her shoulder. Cindy was wearing a dark blue gown that was stick straight to her ankles, her own hair in some up-do thing that had probably took forever to do. All of their dresses were strapless.

My jaw dropped. Caesar and Cairo jumped to their feet. Even Riley didn't have anything smart to say.

Huey moved out of the way of the stairs as they reached the floor. "Whaddya think?" Maya asked, twirling around. Her silver clutch dangled in her gloved hand. "Do we look rich or what?"

"Uh…" Cairo cleared his throat.

"We'll go ahead to the car," Cindy said, winking at me before she and Maya started for the door. Jazmine hung back, offering us a sheepish smile and a small shrug. Caesar smiled back.

"You look beautiful," He told her, making her face turn pink. Before she could reply Cindy stomped back, throwing her gloved hand over Jazmine's mouth.

"Don't speak to the commoners." She cackled and grabbed their coats off the couch, handing Jazmine hers and steering her towards the door. The three of them left and the rest of us stared at each other.

"Oh my…" I mumbled.

Cairo was shaking his head and Riley let out a low whistle. "DAYUM!"

Huey shrugged. "I guess we can't keep them waiting." He got his own coat and started for the door. "Let's go."

The four of us got our things before going to the door as well. Caesar still seemed to be catching his breath.

"No wonder they don't dress like that every day," He mumbled. "They'd kill us."

The rest of us couldn't help but nod in agreement.

* * *

_Huey_

Thomas Mitchell Addison, born December 9, 1982, was a tall white man with dark hair and more money than necessary. The mansion that the ball was in was filled with a maze of corridors, hallways, and winding towers that a few of the guests liked to insist were haunted. Out of the four hundred and fifty six guests who had been invited, there were probably only twenty black people.

Which naturally made us a target for conversation.

"And what exactly is your job?" Some old white couple was asking me. "You said your name was Michael Lawrence the second? I think I met a Michael Lawrence when my husband and I were vacationing in Paris."

"I'm-" I was looking around, making sure that no one was in over their heads. The entire mansion, which had been rented out for a small fortune just for the evening, one of the guests hadn't hesitated in telling me, was open. At least the first floor. That meant it would be harder for us all to keep track of each other. "I work within the steel industry, only not the American based one."

"Goodness, you're from outside the states?" The woman put a hand over her heart. Her husband only seemed to be concerned with finding another caterer in hopes that they had another tray of wine. "It must cost you a fortune to fly internationally! You have to first apply to even fly out of the country, then it has to be approved-"

"They've found that my case is suitable." I moved past her. "Now, if you will excuse me…"

I got out of there as quickly as I could before I had to make up more lies, stepping past the large dance floor which was filled with couples, and managed to spot Maya dancing with some short guy. Caesar and Cindy were also out there, focused so intently on each other that they probably weren't even aware that anyone else was there. Riley was nowhere near any alcohol so that was always a good thing. And I had a feeling that I knew where Jazmine was…

Sure enough, when I got to one of the tables of food in the far corner near one of the doors that led outside I spotted her holding an empty plate. She seemed to be contemplating the effects that she'd go through if she dared go for cheesecake. I rolled my eyes, coming up behind her and taking the plate out of her hands.

"No dairy," I reminded her in a low tone, even though we were far away enough from everyone else where we probably wouldn't be overheard anyway. "I shouldn't have to tell you like you're a five-year-old."

Jazmine gave me a look. "I'm still mad at you," She said in a slightly louder tone. I gave her a look of my own and she lowered her voice. "Give me my plate back."

I ignored her, instead walking along the table and slowly filling the plate with food. "If you're mad about earlier," I said, acting as if I hadn't heard her. "Then you should get over it. I was only trying to prove a point."

"You were trying to hurt my feelings," Jazmine hissed. I handed her the plate and she made a face. "What about the chicken?"

"I'm not helping you indulge in your love of meat, you carnivore." I noticed the corners of her mouth turn upwards, even if it was only for a second. "And you'd drown it in bleu cheese. Which last time I checked-"

"Is dairy. Fine." Jazmine rolled her eyes. "Thank you."

We were quiet for a long moment. Finally, I sighed.

"I'm sorry," I said. Jazmine shot me a dirty look.

"For what?" She asked.

"Don't patronize me, you _know_ what." I winced as a shooting pain ran up my shin. Jazmine noticed and set down her plate, forgetting to be mad.

"Is it your leg?" She asked softly as I sat down at the closest table. She gently lowered herself into the chair beside me. "What's wrong?"

I started to reply but noticed rapid movement behind her. I looked up, spotting two older looking men arguing about something; their voices were loud and angry, even though I couldn't understand what they were saying. One of them stormed out the door, the other one following. I stood up, forgetting about my leg.

Jazmine was looking at me like I was nuts. I shook my head, glancing around before starting for the door as well. "Stay here."

"Bull shit!" Jazmine hissed, jumping up and following me. "What are you- Eee!"

I'd tugged her around the corner by her wrist, fastening a hand over her mouth to keep her from talking. "Be. Quiet." I waited for her to nod. "Now follow me."

I pushed off the wall, starting down the wide hallway. Jazmine did the same, her heels clacking on the marble floor. I glared.

"Could you do something about that?"

"Sure. I'll ask them to be quiet." Despite the sarcasm she softened her footsteps, even though the meant we had to walk a bit slower. Not that I was complaining, due to how badly my leg was now throbbing.

As if she could read my mind Jazmine came up on my side, wrapping my arm around her shoulders so that she could support some of my weight. "Does this help?" She asked. I nodded.

"Yeah. Thanks."

We followed the voices that echoed through the empty corridor. It was darker in this part of the mansion, the only light being from tall windows that overlooked a large garden, where the full moon was shining through. We froze as the voices suddenly got louder and flattened ourselves against the wall. I glanced over the side of the wall and spotted them a ways down another hallway.

"This isn't going to work," One of them men was saying. "Addison isn't budging on this. I can stand behind killing those damn muslims and those homos, but we can't just kill _everyone_-"

"That's why we need it!" The other guy snapped. "But if we don't get it, it's not our asses, it's Addison's. He's the one who would have to answer to Dorrough."

"Dorrough…" I muttered. Jazmine looked confused.

"Who?"

"I don't know." I shook my head. "It just sounds familiar…"

"Look. Either way it's going to work," The same man continued on, although the first one looked skeptical. "If we can't get the stuff then oh well we lose what, a thousand more lives?"

"We're talking one hundred thousand more lives!" The other man bellowed, but the first guy went on as if he hadn't spoken.

"If we get it, there's no guarantee it would work. So in my opinion, it doesn't matter."

"We work under Addison." The second man's voice was firm. "I am loyal to him. He is my boss as well as my _friend_. But I can't believe you even think I'd stand by and let all those people die. Kevin, I don't care what we believe. I won't stand for it."

I looked at the first guy's face. It had turned from furious to confused to calm in a matter of seconds. That wasn't a good sign.

"I guess there's no chance of changing your mind." His voice was flat. The other man shook his head.

"None."

"Oh, well." The first man, presumably Kevin, reached into his tuxedo jacket, pulling out a gun. The other man froze.

I closed my eyes before turning back to Jazmine. "Let's get out of here," I whispered. Behind me I heard a low cry.

"Kevin, _wait_-"

"What?" Jazmine asked as I grabbed her wrist, pulling her in the direction which we'd come. Just as we reached the end of the corridor the blast sounded. Jazmine screamed, and I covered her mouth with my hand.

"Come on," I said, pulling her down another, much darker hallway. I was sure the other guy would come running if he heard her. Sure enough, about ten seconds later he rushed past the hallway entrance. I sighed, relieved.

At least until I heard more voices.

"What was that noise?" Someone said from around the corner. Jazmine and I looked at each other.

"Run," I said. I didn't need to tell her twice.

We took off towards the main hallway again, only to hear more voices coming from that direction. We spun around and I rushed for the closest door. Throwing it open I waved to Jazmine, who hurried up and went inside. I shut the door behind us, closing us in darkness.

"Where are we?" Jazmine whispered. I felt along the wall for a light switch. Nothing.

Jazmine retrieved her cell phone from her bag and opened it, shining it around. "It's a closet," She whispered. "An empty closet. But a closet."

I heard a door being opened and then closed down the hallway. "We'd better think of a good excuse for why we're _hiding_ in a closet," I hissed. Jazmine was on the opposite side of the confined space, glaring back. She shut her phone and the entire closet was plunged into darkness once again.

"How the hell do we even explain that?" She shot back. I heard another door open and close. "I don't know…we got lost?"

"Right. That would only get us sent to jail." I shook my head even though she probably couldn't see it. "They've probably already found the other guy's body. If they find us hiding in a damn closet then we're as good as guilty to them."

"Well what are we supposed to do?" Jazmine wailed. Just as I opened my mouth, I got an idea.

I tugged off the jacket to my tux, throwing it on the floor. "What are you doing?" I heard Jazmine ask. I ignored her, loosening my tie and tossing it aside as well. "Huey!"

"Ssh!" I snapped, unbuttoning the first few buttons on my white collared shirt so that it was slightly open. I could hear voices, another door much closer being opened. "Come here."

"What?" I felt a hand on my shoulder. "Where is _here_-"

I reached out into the darkness, grabbing her by her waist and pulling her to me. Before she could react I smashed my lips over hers, spinning around so that her back was pressed against the wall. She squealed, pushing against me but I ignored her, letting my hands slide down her back. After a moment she caught on and kissed me back, her hands slowly drifting up to my collar. I lifted her up and let my hand find her leg so that I could wrap it around my waist. The door beside ours opened. "Clear!" I heard someone shout.

Jazmine's hand lifted my chin up so that the kiss deepened. I shifted, leaning into her and letting my eyes drift shut. I felt my tension as well as hers fade away and before I knew it, we weren't acting anymore. I let my hands slide along her waist, surprising myself by how annoyed I was that she was wearing anything. The way Jazmine's hands fumbled with the remainder of my buttons it was safe to say she felt the same way.

The door suddenly flew open, which completely caught me off guard. A flashlight shined in our eyes and the three men that stared at us blinked, shocked. Jazmine and I stared back, just as mortified.

It had all seemed like a good idea in theory, but there was something about being caught making out in a closet in some stranger's mansion that tended to make things awkward.

"Well. Er…" The man with the flashlight scratched his neck while one of the men behind him snorted. "Sorry, sir." He coughed. "Ma'am."

"Um…" I slowly let Jazmine slide to the floor, taking a decent sized step away from her once her feet touched the ground. "Sorry?"

"Surprisingly, you aren't the first ones we've come across." The man with the flashlight shook his head, nodding to the side so that the other two knew to follow him. "We're sealing off the house, so we're going to need for you two to head straight for the ballroom."

"No detours." The man who was laughing winked at us. "Have a nice night."

The door swung shut, leaving a tiny crack that let enough light in where I could see clearly. With our exposure had come a bout of clarity that seemed to wash over us both at the same time. I slowly picked up my things while Jazmine fumbled with her hair, trying to make it look less messy. She was purposely averting her gaze. "Jazmine."

She straightened her shoe, shaking her head. "I don't want to talk about it." She threw open the door, storming out. I had to do some odd skip walk just so I could go after her and even then I didn't catch up until she was turning the corner.

"Jazmine!" I caught her arm, spinning her around. "Come on! It wasn't anything personal! It was just to get those guys off our asses-"

"Oh, it wasn't anything personal!" Jazmine yelled, catching me off guard. She yanked her arm away and threw up her hands. "Are you _kidding _me? Huey, that was anything _but _impersonal! What were you even _thinking_?"

"I was thinking I didn't want us to go to jail, Jazmine!" I yelled back, forgetting to be cool. "I was doing what I had to do to keep us-"

My answer seemed to be a bad one because she gave me a seething look. "You can't tell me there was nothing there!" She said angrily. I stared back at her, waiting for her to calm down. She did; her shoulders relaxed and her eyes softened. The lines in her face smoothed away and I could see her emotions as plain as day written across her features. "You _can't_."

This was the moment I'd been waiting for. There was never a right or wrong moment to do anything; if you felt something should be done then it was best to just go through with it as soon as possible. But I knew if I believed in those kind of things, I'd choose now to say something; now when the moonlight was spilling over us, reflecting in her eyes that were as green as emeralds.

Then, I thought about Cairo and what it would do to him to have me take away someone else he loved, even if it was unintentional. I remembered what we were here for, and how impossible it would be to have a relationship with the world the way it was. Lastly, I thought of Athena, who was probably the sanest one of us all, and her words.

_Her love, her loyalty, is her downfall._

I swallowed, closed my eyes, and opened them. Jazmine was staring at me, her eyes filled with some emotion I didn't want to see, one that was finally impossible to ignore. But I had no choice.

"There was nothing there," I said quietly.

I watched her eyes darken, could feel in the air that she was already closing me out. Her expression hardened and her mouth slowly closed. But not before she had her say.

"I hate you."

She stormed past me and I let her, not even bothering to look over my shoulder. I rested my back against the wall, groaning in frustration. I sat there, looking outside, until I reminded myself that this wasn't what I was here for.

I was here to save humanity.

Which was why I pushed off the wall, straightened my clothes, and took a deep breath so that I could clear my head. If I could think straighter, it would be easier to pretend that nothing had happened, that I hadn't just potentially broken my best friend's heart. That I hadn't possibly damaged my own.

At this point, pretending was all any of us were good at.

* * *

_Jazmine_

I couldn't stop crying.

I'd went to the bathroom and sat in one of the stalls for a good half an hour, simply crying my eyes out and using so much tissue to repair the damage that by the time I was done, there wasn't a single sheet left on the roll. I finally stepped out the stall, glancing at myself in the mirror. My mascara and eyeliner had run, leaving black rings around my eyes. Just seeing my face made me cry all over again.

I didn't know why I was making such a big deal out of this. After all, Huey _had _done the only thing that could be done at the time. And I _did_ have a boyfriend. So what was the problem?

I finally left the bathroom and crept into the ballroom, trying not to look like some woman who had just gotten he heart ripped out of her chest and stomped on. I'd barely had time to look around at how the lights had been dimmed before Cairo came out of nowhere, taking my hand in his and leading me towards the dance floor.

"Where have you been?" He asked. I felt a pang of guilt flood through me and it was all I could do not to cry again. He peered down at me. "Hey. What's wrong?"

I shook my head. He gave me a worried stare. "I just feel a little tired," I admitted.

"You've been crying." It wasn't a question.

"I was crying from how _tired_ I am."

Cairo sighed. We got to a place in the middle of the floor and he rested his hands on my waist, swaying. It was a slow song.

Well. That was just _all _I needed right now.

"I saw Huey a little while ago," He said calmly as we swayed to the music. Unlike most of the other songs that have involved music that would probably be heard in an elevator, it was actually a song I recognized.

_"If I could, could forget him, I would. Please believe me…"_

"He was looking for you." He frowned down at me. "He looked upset."

"Huey doesn't _get _upset," I grumbled, resting my head on his chest. Cairo shrugged.

"Well, he was definitely not happy."

_"And I know that I should throw the towel in,  
but baby it's not, not that easy  
You treat me so much better than him  
And if I was sane there'd be no competition._

_But I'm in love with someone else.  
And I'm so sorry  
Hey…."_

I lifted my head, raising my eyebrow. "This is a _horrible _song to dance to!" I said with so much feeling a few people turned their heads to look at me. Cairo smirked.

"I watch you two a lot, you know," He said casually. I rested my head against his chest again. "Not in a bad way, just…I don't know. But one thing I notice about you two is how much you have in common."

I lifted my head. "But we don't have much in common," I stated. "We're complete opposites."

"That…is true." Cairo shook his head. "But the few things you do have in common, they're what defines you both. They make up how you react to situations, how you read other people. How you feel about each other."

_"I'm in love with another man  
And I know it ain't right.  
Hey…."_

"Cairo-" I started, but he cut me off.

"You both draw into yourselves. Did you know that?" He asked. I slowly shook my head and he went on. "You're both internal people. You don't go to others about your problems, you look inside yourselves for the answers. It doesn't seem like a big thing but trust me, I've been here with Cindy and Maya for a while. And they're both _very _verbal with their problems." I smiled. "But you just isolate yourself. You push it away."

"A lot of people do."

_"You should go and find someone else  
Who could treat you right, give you the world.  
Someone who understands the man you are  
cause baby you shine so bright, and I would just dim your star."_

"No. They don't." Cairo sighed. "You both act like if you ignore a problem, it'll go away."

"I do that, sure." I wasn't going to lie about it. "But Huey doesn't."

"Woman, please." Cairo snorted. "I mean, he's very confrontational about business, sure. But emotions? That boy's got more emotional levees than Hoover Dam."

_"A girl who treats you like you treat them  
Boy I know there's plenty women  
Who would love to have a man like you  
But I'm in love with someone else_

_I'm so sorry baby heyyy  
I know I ain't right, no no no no no  
For what I did it to you baby."_

"I think one thing that gets me the most," Cairo said in a thoughtful voice. "Is how far you both will go for others, even if it means destroying yourselves."

"What do you mean?"

"Don't play dumb." Cairo laughed at my expression. "Jazz, come on. You give until there's nothing left. And even then you still keep giving." I must have looked unconvinced about his observations, because he rolled his eyes.

"You and Huey have the most extensive non-verbal communication skills I've ever witnessed," He said quietly, spinning me around. "Even when you first got here you two were still in tune and you hadn't even seen each other in over five years. Sure, Huey described you as being naïve and all these other things that you obviously grew out of, and I'm sure he's a bit different from when you knew him, but you basically haven't missed a beat. Not to mention," He added. "You're both stubborn as hell."

_"I can't explain why it's him and not you.  
And at the end of the day, baby I just don't want to.  
Cause he ain't no doctor naw.  
And we always seem to fight.  
He got the perfect body,  
And sometimes he don't even treat me right…"_

"I think what got me the most," He said, lifting my chin so that I was looking up at him. "Was the fact that Huey found me just to tell me what happened with you two earlier." I gaped at him. "He explained everything. And he told me not to be mad at you because it was nothing." He shook his head. "It wasn't _nothing_, it was everything."

"It wasn't," I said quickly. Cairo raised his eyebrows. "I thought it was. I even…I even hoped it was," I admitted. "But it wasn't anything."

"And that's why you're upset," Cairo assessed. I blinked at him.

_But when I'm with him  
But when I'm with him  
Hey when I'm with him  
Ain't nobody else like it_

"You're upset because you love him and you feel he doesn't love you. And he was upset because he hurt you. He might not realize it yet Jazz, but he does love you."

I shook my head. "He doesn't."

"He does." Cairo exhaled. "And that's why I can't be with you anymore."

I froze.

"I'm not going to let you lie to yourself to make me happy," He said, a somewhat sad smile on his face. "You love him."

"Cairo-"

"Say it." He nudged me encouragingly. "Go ahead. Say that you love him."

"I _can't_," I whispered. Cairo shook his head.

"You can. So say it."

_And I'm so sorry baby, that I have to do this to you  
But I can't go on pretending, because I love him  
I love him…"_

"I…" I winced. "I love him."

It felt so weird coming out of my mouth, but the moment I said it I realized that telling him I hated had been a complete lie. It couldn't be anything _further _from the truth. Cairo smiled.

_"And I'm so sorry  
Do you hear me, I'm so sorry  
But I love that man, I love that man_

_Ohhhh_

_He ain't always right,  
But he's just right for me…"_

"It was a nice run," He said, picking up my hand and kissing it. "That's what we said. We agreed we'd give it a try, and we did. And I'm fine with that."

"I-" I started to speak but he shook his head.

"I don't regret it," He said reassuringly. "I don't." He gave my hand one last pat before letting it go and disappearing into the crowd. I stared after him, vaguely aware of all the dancing couples around me and how deeply, deeply alone I was.

I slowly walked off the floor myself, sinking into the closest chair and staring down at the table. I didn't know how long I sat there but after what seemed like only a few minutes Maya plopped down beside me. She looked at me with intuitive eyes.

"Hey." Unlike her usually loud self she was quiet, pensive. I tried to smile and my lips felt as if they'd crack.

"Hey."

Maya slid closer to me. "It gets better, you know," She said knowingly. I looked up at her. "Moving on. It gets easier with time. I know."

I bit my lip, trying to keep from crying all over again. Maya sighed, sliding even closer and pulling me into her arms. "And it's okay to cry," She whispered.

I didn't know how she knew, but all of a sudden I was sobbing, relieved that we were in the corner where no one would notice us unless they were seeking us out. I wondered how I ever could have disliked this girl.

"It'll be okay," Maya whispered.

I wondered if she was right.

_I'm in love with another man and I'm so sorry  
Heyyy.  
But I love someone else."_

* * *

_Why does that horrible Kelsey keep making people suffer? Grrr!_

_-Kelsey_


	23. Chapter Twenty Two

_Wow...update? Woooooord._

_Filler chapter...somewhat. For the most part. But it's definitely the last filler of the story because the rest is going to be _anything _but filler. Arggggh._

_Thanks to Gazebodeathride, KrisD.723, Hershey-chan, MizzC, XONewDreamsXO (and yes, I LOVED that episode of Avatar that I quoted! Too bad I'm a Zutara fan though...:sigh:), and instantLUNCH for the reviews! _

_Um...that's about it...I'm going to flunk out of college and have to be a hooker if I don't get to studying..._

_Disclaimer: The Boondocks ain't mine so LEAVE ME ALOOOOOOOOOOOONE!!!!_

* * *

Old Soul

Chapter Twenty-Three

_"I was swimming. I was fighting. And then I thought, just for a second, I thought 'What's the point?' And I let go. I stopped fighting."_

_-Ellen Pompeo_

_

* * *

_

_December 9, 2022  
Riley_

This fool was on the damn floor.

The second I bust into his room that afternoon I knew something was wrong. For one thing his usually tidy room had shit _everywhere_. On the floor, on his bed, on his dresser, falling out his closet. His bed was unmade. There was a hole in the wall near his dresser that I knew hadn't been there before. It was just straight up _shit_. Another let on that there was a problem was that, once again, he was on the floor.

The third, but worst, hint? His TV was on. Not only was it _on _but it was set to BET.

B.E.T. This nigga had lost it.

"DAYUM nigga!" I stepped into the room, making a face. I knew I was bad, but _Huey? _Really? "Why you look like yo shit got bombed? It looks like sum terrorists rode up in yo jank an started bustin caps."

Huey glared up at me from his spot on the floor at the foot of his bed. He was lying on his back in a wrinkled white T and some old looking jeans. His busted leg was pointed straight up towards the ceiling since he was bracing it on the bed. His eyes narrowed.

"Shut up."

That was it. No sarcastic remark, no me having to dodge out of the way as he threw a book or some other useless mess at my head. I blinked at him.

"Damn. You gon let sum mixed broad mess you up like this?" He looked at me. "Please. We _all _know what happened wit chu an Jazzy."

"Shut _up_!" Huey practically growled, looking away from me angrily. "What are you even doing in here?"

"Visitin mah only brotha, if dat's okay wit you." I plopped down on the end of his bed, looking at the TV screen. "Ooh! Dis mah _jam_."

"What do you want?" Huey asked me in a tired voice. I sucked my teeth.

"I'm hurr to smack sum sense back into yo ass!" I said, pointing around his room. "It's like yo ass on crack or sumthin! Normal Huey would think whoever lived in dis room was either a slacking bum who had no pride in himself or his possessions. You like…dope fiend Freeman!"

"Why the hell would I be dope fiend Freeman?" Huey asked in a doubtful voice, looking back up at me. "Riley, I have nothing to do. There's not much going on political wise other than the usual mess, I've been relinquished of my duties until I'm out this damn cast, I've read all my books…what am I _supposed _to do?"

"Um, relax? Like a normal human bein?" When Huey gestured around and looked back at me I shook my head. "Nuh uh mah nigga. This ain't showin you relaxed. This showing dat yo ass dun snapped. And that," I added, pointed at the hole in the wall. "Shows yo ass needs anger management."

Huey sucked his teeth and glared at me. I only stared back. After a while he sighed and his face softened.

"I'm just…mad, okay?" He said, sounding like a little bitch. I decided for once not to point it out and tried that thing that people call "listening". "I messed up. I messed up, and now Cairo's mad at me, Jazmine's straight up _furious_…I never knew she could hold a grudge for any longer than a couple hours. And Maya's not too happy with me, I'm sure Cindy, being Jazmine's friend and all isn't too pleased-"

"Nigga who cares?" I asked, cutting him off and making him glare at me. "So people are mad at you, boo hoo. People used to get mad at yo ass all the time and you ain' curr! _I _be mad at you all da time an you don be thinkin' bout it! So let dem niggas be mad! They'll get over dat shit."

I felt satisfied with my advice, but then this fool had the nerve to _keep talking_, like I'm his damn therapist.

"I'm mad at myself, too." Huey sighed, staring at the ceiling again. "I'm so _angry _at me. How could I just let responsibility and reason ruin my friendship? I _lied _to her, Riley." He looked back at me. "What happened with her, it wasn't impersonal. It was everything."

"Okay, so why you tellin me? I don wanna know!" I jabbed my finger towards the door. "Go tell her! You ain solvin nothing tellin _me _bout yo feelings!"

"I know." Huey closed his eyes. "I can't tell her. We don't have time for this kind of thing."

"But you got time to punch holes in yo wall?" I jumped off the bed. "Whateva den. So dis how you gon let it end. You gon lay on tha floor like a bitch nigga an not do nothin to fix yo problems. Kay den, dat's cool. Cause, I'm sure Jazmine and Cairo gon reconcile. Fo real." I watched his eyebrow rise. "I mean, Cairo obviously miss her. And you dun broke her heart, got her cookin all over tha place like it's thanksgiving or sum mess-"

"She's _cooking_?" Huey made a face. "Jazmine likes to cook. Why is that weird?"

"Well it ain't weird fa me cuz you know her ass can work a stove," I said matter-of-factly. "But I mean, she makin so much food we ran outta food in da whole place and she had to go buy mo. Twice. And soon cooking might not comfort her no more, den she gon hafta get sum mo of dat sweet love from Cairo." I cackled inside at the expression that formed on his face. "Cos I mean, I thought dat night it was the TV dey was so loud. I guess he was layin it on her real good-"

"Wait, _what_?!"

Yeah. I knew his ass would get up _then_.

"Jazmine and Cairo…" Huey was sittin up and everything now, lookin ready to go find Cairo and make a hole in him like he'd done the wall. "They…they…"

"Oh dey did it all right!" I laughed. I couldn't help it. His face was hilarious. "She was screamin an everything! Dey prolly don't think I know cos I ain' say nothing, but Hiro an I was _weak_. Dat's all tha info you get fo free."

As if he'd heard us the door suddenly popped open and Cairo stuck his head in. His expression was blank…until he saw me laughing and Huey staring at him like he was the bull and Cairo was the red wearing target.

"Aye." He looked concerned. Little did he know the only person he needed to be concerned with was himself. "What's wrong?"

"What's wrong?" Huey asked in a dangerous voice. "What's _wrong_?"

I was laughing so hard I had to hold my sides so I wouldn't fall off the bed. Cairo opened the door wider, looking annoyed now.

"Um…that _is _what I asked you."

Wrong answer.

Next thing any of us know Huey had jumped up and tackled Cairo like a linebacker so that they both fell into the hallway. Cairo was trying to pull himself from under Huey, who literally had his hands around his throat. _Weak_.

"You hypocrite!" Huey was yelling as Cairo gagged. It was so loud that the door in front of them popped open and Cindy poked her head out. "You got mad at _me_ for what I did with Maya? Are you _kidding me_?!"

"Oh, for the love of…CAESAR!" Cindy screamed as she stepped behind Huey, trying to pull him off of Cairo. I held on to the doorframe, still snickering. "Help me!"

"Man down, man down!" Cairo choked. Huey finally let go on his own terms being that the nigga's face had started turning colors and stood to his feet, shaking Cindy off. Cairo grasped his throat, gasping. He glared up at Huey.

"What the fuck is your problem?"

"_My _problem? Nigga, please." Huey put on a face, obviously imitating Cairo. "_"You took the only thing I loved away from me, you knew I loved her, wah wah."_ _You _had sex with Jazmine! Who's in the wrong now?"

"Why does it matter?" Cairo shouted, jumping to his feet. "And it was an accident! We were both drunk!"

"Oh, they were drunk." Huey threw his hands into the air. "That just makes _everything _better!"

Caesar came from around the corner, froze, and sighed.

"You know, _everyone _can hear you two," He said in a bored tone. "So in case you two are interested in knowing, Maya is in the upstairs bathroom crying, Hiro's ready to call homeland security, and Jazmine just broke out the recipe book in the middle cabinet since _she already finished the first one_. Can you two just stop?" Huey and Cairo glared at one another. "You two being mad at each other is tearing up the household. Cairo, Maya didn't know you had feelings for her. Otherwise she would've given you a chance."

Cairo looked surprised. "Really?"

Caesar rolled his eyes. "Yes. She told me like, ages ago. And Huey, you fucked up yourself. It doesn't matter who Jazmine's been with. It doesn't matter who _you've _been with. You love her. Get the hell over it. Damn! Ya'll act like it would kill ya'll to communicate your feelings!"

Huey set his jaw.

"I know you two think the other betrayed you," Caesar went on while I kept watching from the doorway. "And that this whole situation is confusing…but damn, can you not think about yourselves for a few minutes? Can you try to remember that if we don't work as a team we're going to fall one by one?" He gave them both a calm smile. "Can you just try to go back to being best friends?"

Cairo and Huey looked at each other. Everyone was silent. Finally, Cairo sighed heavily.

"Huey?" He tried to smile, even though it was obviously forced. His voice was still raspy and there was a bruise on the side of his throat that was growing by the minute. "Come on, man. We can't let a couple of females come between our friendship, right?" He held out his hand.

Everyone seemed to hold their breath as Huey looked at his hand, then at Cairo's face. He glared and shoved his own hands in his pockets.

"You're the leader now, so it doesn't matter what I think." Cairo's face fell. "You do you. I don't give a damn."

He walked back into his room, slamming the door. We all looked at each other.

"Damn he is _stubborn_," Cindy mumbled, walking back into her room. I couldn't help but laugh again.

I wondered if he'd ever talk to me about his problems again.

* * *

_December 14, 2022  
Caesar_

It was probably the warmest day we'd had in ages, with the temperature at a wonderful fifty degrees. The sun was blinding. The roads weren't icy, especially not where I'd taken her.

I'd decided that Jazmine needed a new hobby. Only the one I had in mind…wasn't exactly one she would've picked out of a catalog.

"You want me…to learn how to ride a motorcycle." Jazmine was standing beside me, staring at the shiny motorcycle as if it had leprosy. She was wearing a leather jacket that was thicker than the other one she had, some thick jeans, and boots. Her hair was back in a ponytail and a pair of sunglasses covered her eyes. She looked from the bike to me, her mouth already set in a frown. "Seriously?"

"You can't just sit around the house and _cook_ all day," I told her sternly, my own hands tucked inside my dark brown leather jacket and the brim of my hat blocking shielding the surprisingly bright sun from my eyes. "Seriously. We've given food to the neighbors. We've given food to the doorman. We've taken food to the _homeless shelter_. And the freezer's still full!"

"You should be glad someone wants to make meals for her closest friends," Jazmine replied in a huffy voice, lifting her chin. I rolled my eyes.

"Okay." I tried another tactic. "I understand that you and Huey had some kind of falling out. I am fully aware that Cairo dumped you the same night of this falling out. And I know that you feel pretty crappy and heartbroken and all that other stuff. It's understandable." Jazmine bit her lip. "But Jazz, cooking everything in the house and buying out Farm Fresh isn't the best way to let out your negative energy."

"Oh, so you're a psychologist now?" Jazmine practically snarled. I lifted and eyebrow. Yeesh. Since when did she have the cuteness of a Care Bear and the ferociousness of a Huey?

"Nooo," I said slowly. "But I am one of your best friends. I'm just worried about you."

Jazmine sighed. "Well," She said, her voice considerably gentler. "What is riding a motorcycle going to accomplish?"

I shrugged. "Nothing." It was her turn to raise an eyebrow. "But not everything's supposed to serve a purpose. Some things are just done for fun. For an outlet."

"I have plenty of outlets."

"Lying in your bed all day eating waffle fries that you bribe Maya to bring you from Chick Filet, watching _Rent_, and crying as you listen to that old ass _Moulin Rouge _soundtrack are _not _outlets." I rolled my eyes again, straightening. "_God_."

Jazmine's lower lip jutted out. "I loved Moulin Rouge."

"Uh huh. Anyway." I pointed to the bike. "What are you waiting for? Get on?"

Jazmine sighed. "Do I have to?"

"Yes!"

"But…I could kill someone."

"I took us way out here to the suburbs for a reason," I replied patiently. "There's no one out here."

Jazmine folded her arms over her chest.

"I don't wanna." Apparently, regressing back to the fourth grade was also an emotional outlet. I exhaled, pinching the bridge of my nose.

"Why not?" I couldn't help but smirk. "Are you _scared_?"

Maybe she wasn't as much like Huey as I'd thought. That comment would have had him riding circles around me on the thing by now. He'd probably skydive into shark infested waters if someone directed that question towards him. Not Jazmine, though.

"Yup!" She clenched her coat tighter around her. "Not to mention I've flown off of one of those before. Not fun."

"Well, fine." The other challenge might not have worked, but I knew one that _would_."Be a baby then."

Jazmine ripped her shades off her face, her piercing green eyes narrowed into tiny slits. I tried to keep my expression neutral but could feel myself teetering on the brink of laughter. She pocketed the sunglasses, clenching her fists.

"Let's do it." She turned on her heel, heading for the bike which was parked on the side of the road. I shrugged, trailing after her.

In the beginning it was difficult, with Jazmine having brake issues and practically colliding into some old barn near one of the back roads we went to. After that she was afraid to go any more than five miles an hour. God forbid we come to a curve in the road; she'd brake so fast it practically gave me whiplash.

But then (and when I say then, I mean a good three hours later), Jazmine seemed to stop getting so frustrated. She was able to keep the bike under control without me fearing for either one of our lives. And when I was able to stand in the middle of a street while she rode around me, so fast that it was practically a blur, I could tell that it had been a good idea.

"Okay." Jazmine killed the engine and stood with a foot on the ground so that she could somewhat balance the motorcycle between her legs. She tugged her helmet off of her face, tucking it under her arm. She was wearing a grin as big as a kid who got to have cookies before dinner. "So…maybe that wasn't _so _bad."

"Maybe." I walked up and took the handlebars in my hands as she moved out the way. I put my own helmet back on and pat the seat behind me. "You're okay. But you still ain't all that."

"Whateva." Jazmine did such a perfect imitation of Riley that I laughed. She sat down behind me, wrapping her arms around my waist. "Can I drive us back home?"

"Uh…no."

"Aww, come on!"

"I said you're okay, not that you're ready to drive in _New York City_! Are you kidding me? We'd be in jail by the end of the night."

"Well…" Jazmine's voice was filled with humor. "Three square meals a day? Free cable? It might not be _so _bad."

"Well," I said over the noise of me starting the engine back up. "It would get pretty bad when Huey came to bail us out. He'd kill us. Wait, he'd kill me since this was my idea in the first place-"

I stopped abruptly as Jazmine suddenly burst into tears. I spun around on the seat; she had let me go and was covering the clear part of the helmet with her hands, her shoulders shaking.

"I'm sorry!" I yelled, killing the engine again before taking a hold of her helmet and tugging it off her head. I let it drop to the ground as I wrapped my arms around her shoulders. "I didn't mean to bring him up! I'm-"

"I was so _stupid_!" Jazmine howled, burying her face into my jacket. I winced as she sniffed. "We've always just been friends! And he's so l-logical…he doesn't _have _feelings! How could I even t-think-"

"That's not true," I said. She cried more. "He has feelings. He might possibly have more feelings than you and I put together."

"Not for _me_!" Jazmine howled. I flinched guiltily. Why did I have to open my damn mouth? She wiped her nose with her sleeve. "I don't even know why I thought d-differently-"

"Huey-" I sighed. I'd already brought him up so there was no use in trying to censor myself now. "Huey's never been one to express his emotions. You _know _that." I waited for her to slowly nod before going on.

"Jazmine, people have different ways of expressing their feelings. Some write songs or poetry, others can verbally express them with no problem. You're very honest with your emotions, and that's great…but you gotta understand, a good percentage of the population just isn't like that. And you can't change it."

"But-" Jazmine started but I cut her off.

"It's like this." I broke off for a second to think of a good example. "Between you and Huey, who's the most confrontational?"

"Easy." Jazmine sniffed. "H-he is-"

"Exactly." I looked at her. "And has he ever held that against you?"

She let out another sniffle. "Yes."

"Oh." I scratched my head. "Maybe that wasn't a good example…" Jazmine looked ready to cry all over again. "The point I'm trying to make is that people act and react in different ways. We're all different. And your idea of expressing feelings isn't the same as someone else's. You can't just mold yourself the perfect person and have them act the exact way you want them to. Otherwise you'd just be looking at another version of yourself. And I don't know about you," I said with a smile. "But I can barely deal with _myself_. What I want another me around for?"

Jazmine shrugged, wiping her eyes. "It would be easier."

"Well, if life were easy it would be boring." I gestured all around us. "Well, some things could do with being easier, like this whole national conflict, but people are just people. That's how it is."

"So…you think Huey does care but has a different way of showing it." I nodded. She looked skeptical. "Well, what's his way? Because forgive me, but I'm missing it."

I smirked, leaning on the handlebars. "Huey's way is sending his best friend, since he was tied up and couldn't go himself, back to a city he swore he'd never go to in order to rescue his unsuspecting old friend. Huey's way is practically killing himself on a motorcycle just so you wouldn't take a hit. Huey's way is doing whatever it takes to keep you safe, even if it means lying to you about how he feels." Jazmine bit her lip. At least she didn't look like she was going to start crying again. "He just wants to protect you. He thinks that if you guys were to complicate things with emotions something could slip through the cracks and in result, something bad would happen to you. He doesn't want to take that chance."

"Well, I don't think it's fair that he's taking it upon himself to decide for me," Jazmine said, her voice haughty. Yup. She _definitely _wasn't going to do anymore crying. I shrugged.

"So tell him that yourself."

Jazmine snorted. "I don't like confrontation. You said so yourself."

"Then forever hold your peace." I rolled my eyes, swinging back around. Behind me I heard her scoop her helmet back up off the ground. "If you can't change your ways, how could you ever expect him to?"

Jazmine stared at me, her expression indecipherable. I let the question hang in the air before revving the engine and starting on our long journey back home.

* * *

_Maya_

It felt as if everyone in the house was walking a tightrope. It was getting really old, really fast.

I softly knocked on Huey's door, taking a deep breath. I wasn't mad at him or anything, but he wasn't exactly my favorite person to be around ever since he'd basically crushed my hopes of us ever being anything more than friends. It was nothing personal. Just…

Alright, fine. It was completely, absolutely, 100 percent personal.

When he didn't answer I knocked again. "Huey?"

I waited. Still, nothing.

Oh so he had the nerve to be _ignoring _a sista? I glared, turning the doorknob and bursting into the room. I froze, averting my eyes.

"Oh. Sorry."

Huey cracked open an eye, looking at me while his other eye remained shut. His room was dimly lit with only a lamp in the corner on. He was sitting cross legged on the floor in front of his bed wearing nothing but a towel around his waist. His hands were resting palm up on his knees, as if he'd been meditating.

"Yes?" He asked in a semi-annoyed tone.

Ah. He _had been _meditating.

"Um, nothing." I was trying not to stare at his shirtless, well sculpted, _beautiful _chest…

Oh, god. I had to get out of there. I spun around, smacking dead into the door and instantly saw stars. "Ah." I stumbled back slightly and gripped my forehead. "_Fuck_!"

I heard a snort from behind me and shot him a glare. Shirtless or not, he still could've at least _acted _concerned. "Fuck you," I said, before my face instantly colored. "Oh, no. Not literally…" I let my words trail off hopelessly, looking to Huey so that he could maybe offer something to this failure of a conversation to save me.

Unfortunately, finishing people's sentences wasn't in Huey's nature. He merely stared back, his eyebrow raised. I sighed, still massaging my poor head.

"I'm just…gonna…go now." I jabbed my thumb behind me towards the door before feeling for the doorknob, too embarrassed to keep staring at him but at the same time, too embarrassed to look away. "Sorry I interrupted you."

He was still looking at me, studying my face. After a moment he sighed.

"You want to talk about how tense it is around here, right?" He offered, _finally _supplying me with some aid. I nodded heavily. He exhaled through his nose, opening his other eye as well and placing his hands in his lap.

"Alright." He didn't sound mad or even irritated. In fact, he sounded curious. "Talk to me."

"Well." I refused to move from my place by the door. "Don't you miss being friends with Cairo?"

"No." Now he just looked bored. "Next question."

"Well…" I shrugged. "Don't you miss being friends with _Jazmine_?"

Huey's face was unreadable as usual, but I noticed a flicker in his eyes. "No…"

"Well, don't you want to know how she's doing?"

"I don't need a messenger." Huey was tuning me out now, going back to his meditating pose. "I appreciate the concern, but we live in the same loft. So if I need to talk to her that badly-"

"You wouldn't," I said flatly. He poked open an eye again. "You won't go to her first because you're too damn proud. She's hurt and proud and you're hurt and even more proud, and if you two would just stop being so _stubborn_-"

"If she's that hurt she can just go back to Cairo," Huey mumbled, closing his eyes again. I glared.

"Aww, baby Huey's upset because Jazmine didn't wait around for him? Get over yourself." Both his eyes popped open this time; my words had obviously gotten to him. "This isn't the fifties. Not everyone saves themselves for marriage or goes around wearing a chastity belt. For god's sakes, she's twenty-two! Who she's been with and what she's done isn't really your business. And, with your track record and all, you don't have the right to hold that against her."

"I don't hold it against _her_," Huey stated firmly. I gave him a look. "I hold it against _Cairo_."

I rolled my eyes.

"Jazmine and I can't be together. We just can't be." Huey shrugged. "If she's mad at me, then so be it. It's better than us becoming…I don't know, _whatever_, and then something happens-"

My eyebrows lifted.

"-and then I wind up guilty because something happened to her. Relationships make you careless. They make you reckless and they can distort the wisest of men's views. And under the current circumstances that's the one thing I _don't _need right now. I don't need distractions."

"You don't think Jazmine's a distraction," I said, all of it dawning on to me. "You're scared."

"_What_?" Huey practically choked. "I am_ not _scared."

"You most definitely are." I shook my head. "You think that if you and Jazmine were to begin a relationship, something would happen to her. And you'd hold it against yourself for the rest of your life." Huey opened his mouth but closed it again. "But Huey, how do you think you'll feel if something happens to her _now_, while you two are mad at each other? What if something happened to you?" My voice got softer. "Do you really think she'd get over it so easily, especially after what you told me about her past?"

Huey looked less sure of himself now. He glanced down at the floor. I pursed my lips together.

"I'm not exactly cupid or anything, but I do like seeing people wind up together who obviously really care about each other." I gave him a serious look. "You two being mad, it's dividing the entire house. You say if you two were together it might hinder your commitment to the resistance, but already you're not the same. So, not only would you two getting together be good for you, but it would be good for the rest of us. It would be good for everything we've been working for." I gestured towards his messy room as well as himself. "Besides, look at you. You've _never _let yourself get this shaken up. And Jazmine, she's falling apart. Face it." I shrugged. "You two need each other."

"No one _needs _anyone," Huey said matter-of-factly. "Loneliness is the human condition. The best one can do is know themselves and know what they want."

"Okay…" I spun my index finger in a tight circle, pointing to him. "And _you _want Jazmine. I don't care what you say. You need her as much as she needs you."

"She doesn't need me." Huey seemed to be mumbling more to himself than me. "She'd be fine."

"Bullshit." I put my hand on my hip as he looked back at me. "Home girl's got it bad. She's cooked enough food to get us through _next _winter. She stays in the bed all day when she's not cooking and cries. Or listens to depressing songs from musicals. Or eats. And-" I said, saving the most horrifying for last. "She's so down she let Caesar talk her into riding a _motorcycle_."

Huey's eyebrows lifted until they were practically into his hairline. Everyone knew how much she hated those things. "She didn't."

"She did." I nodded. "And she walks around like she's in a daze. I can barely bring you into the conversation without her crying. Neither one of you are exactly the best at grieving."

"Thanks," He remarked dryly. Figuring that my words would do the trick I opened the door, stepping outside. I wasn't done, though. I poked my head through the crack that I'd created, giving him a look.

"Even if you don't realize it, you're at your best when she's around." I sighed. "So please, just talk to her. Because right now you're both at your worst and we're all tired of it. So k, thanks, bye."

I shut the door, managing to spot a contemplative look on his face before the crack closed.

* * *

_Hiro_

"Hey." I practically pulled Cairo into my room the moment I heard his door open. I'd cracked my own door open, made sure it was him, and then tugged on his sleeve with so much force he wound up falling on my floor. "Damn. Sorry, man."

"Oh, no worries." It was obvious that his voice was filled with sarcasm. "What's going on?"

I shoved my laptop towards him, trying not to look so grim. "This."

Cairo managed to lift his face up from the carpet long enough to glance at the headline."_Authorities Narrow Search for Jazmine Alston to The Northeast,_" He read aloud. He sat up so that he could take the laptop from me and read aloud more of the article, his eyes wide.

""_The mystery circling Jazmine Alston's whereabouts seems to be getting trickier. Craig Hanson, a member of the sheriff department in Woodcrest, suggests that Ms. Alston did not die on the evening of September 9, as previously thought, but in fact managed to elude authority and disappear to the east coast."_" He looked at me. "How the hell did they find that out?"

"I don't know!" I said, dejected. He glanced back down to the screen.

"_"Recent information from relied sources takes the search to the northeast, particularly in New York, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey."_ Are you _kidding _me?!"

"It gets worse," I added, pointing to the laptop. "Further down they begin trying to connect her to the murders of Marilyn and Stanley George, the couple with the ampscine. They're trying to speculate that Jazmine did it and stole it."

"Shit!"

"They're even trying to say she works with terrorists groups in other countries. Ridiculous shit. Only some people are saying that she's probably in Pennsylvania, so that's a good thing I guess." I shook my head. "What are we going to do?"

"What can we do?" Cairo rested his hands on his knees. "We've gotta tell her. We've gotta lay low. And we've gotta hope that they're still looking for a redhead chick and wouldn't be able to place her even if they did see her."

"Maybe we should tell her not to leave the house, at least until the heat dies down."

Cairo gave me a look. "She's never going to go for that."

"Well…" I licked my lips. "We could move her."

Cairo looked confused. "Move her?"

"Look, I know some people." I jumped to my feet and started pacing as the wheels turned in my head. "We get her approved for a flight to another country. Say…England. Maybe even France. She was born in France, so it might not be so bad. She could live there and no one could touch her."

"Yeah, but…" Cairo glanced from the screen to me. "How could we keep in touch with her?"

I shook my head. "We couldn't." When his jaw slackened I shrugged. "Well, it would be dangerous for us to. If Jazmine were to move she'd be safe, and we'd be safer. It's not just that I'm trying to think about our safety, I'm just trying to figure out what's the best for _all _of us. And that really is the best plan we've got, instead of waiting for the people to catch up to her."

Cairo didn't look so sure. "How long would it take your friend to get her an approved passport?" He asked slowly. I considered it.

"A week. Maybe two."

"A week." Cairo sighed, running a hand over his hair. "Well, all I can tell you is to run it past the others. Most importantly, run it past Jazmine." His hazel eyes narrowed. "Because in the end, it's her decision."

* * *

_Jazmine_

"No." Huey shook his head, practically laughing. "Hell no. Absolutely _not_. That is ridiculous."

"But Huey!" Hiro was appealing, throwing up his hands. "It would work! Once Jazmine gets out of the country she won't be under US jurisdiction! Why do you think it's so hard to get approved for passports in the first place?"

"No," Huey repeated flatly, his voice final. "You and Cairo are overreacting. Just because they're looking over here doesn't mean they're automatically going to find her."

"But wouldn't you rather be safe than sorry?" Cairo added. "Because they might not come around here searching. But they _might_."

"Yeah!" Hiro agreed. "Besides, didn't Reese say someone on the other side _knew _Jazmine was in the city?"

"Reese was full of crap," Cindy offered darkly. "He would've said he shit daisies if it would've gotten him out of being killed."

"That's true," Caesar noted. Riley, who was obviously sleep on the entire conversation, sat up.

"Dat nigga shit dasies forreal?"

"_No_. Go back to sleep." Huey rolled his eyes. "Look, if we just keep our guard up-"

"I think I should go."

My words left my mouth before I could even think about them. Everyone at the table looked at me, but it was Huey who spoke.

"…What?"

"I think I should move." I tried to keep my voice even, did my best to return his sharp gaze. Only after a few seconds I felt awkward so I focused instead on my hands, which were folded neatly on the table. Cindy looked around before staring back at me.

"But Jazmine." She made a face. "It's most likely nothing for us to even be concerned about-"

"But there's always that chance," I told her, swallowing. "And I don't want to take it. I don't want to put you all at any more risk than necessary-"

"What are you talking about?" Huey's eyes were practically burning a hole in my head. I couldn't bring myself to meet his gaze. "There _is _no risk! Even if there is one we're prepared-"

"How?" I asked, looking at his collar. "Will you be prepared if the place gets raided? Will you be prepared if everyone gets _killed_ just because they want me?"

"No one's going to get killed!" Huey snapped. "You're being stupid…for god's sakes, can you _look _at me?"

I took a deep breath before lifting my gaze to meet his. The moment I did I felt as if a jolt of electricity shot up my spine, like I'd stuck my finger in an electrical socket. His eyes, so deep and dark, practically pierced mine. I lifted my chin, refusing to let my emotions show just like him.

"You don't have to go," He said calmly. It was obvious that everyone else but Hiro and Cairo agreed with him from the way they nodded, their eyes filled with concern. But all I could focus on were _those _eyes, his eyes. "There _are _other options. You being here doesn't put us in any more danger than we were already in. So, think about what you're saying. Are you really willing to go halfway around the world and start completely over? Could you really handle never seeing the United States, any of us, ever again?"

_Could _you _handle never seeing me again? _I thought. I swallowed.

Could I really be okay with never seeing any of them again? My entire family was dead, and they were all I had now. Could I just move away that easily and sever ties with them completely?

I wasn't sure. But one thing I _did _know was that I'd much rather move away and leave them in peace than stay and have them die because of it. I didn't care what they said. There was always _that chance_…

And goddammit, I couldn't lose anyone else.

I nodded. "I could handle it." I paused, aware of the collective breath that everyone had taken. I was aware of the pang that shot through my own chest, as sharp as any blade. I made sure to keep my eyes directly on Huey's, letting myself fall into those deep, wine colored orbs. "And I think I should."

* * *

_Cindy_

I think that people should get the option to walk around with signs. Signs that warn others about themselves, their personalities. If that option was available I'm pretty sure I'd purchase a "Handle with Care" sign for Jazmine. Maybe even Huey while I was at it. Shit, maybe we all needed them.

I found her on the roof that night, sitting with her knees drawn to her chest and her arms around them. She was looking out at the moon, her eyes rarely blinking. I stood at the doorway for a long moment, watching her watch something that I couldn't see. I was pretty sure I wouldn't be able to see whatever it was she saw even if I looked.

"Hey." I leaned against the doorframe, watching as she looked over her shoulder at me.

"Hey."

This was the part where I was supposed to be a good best friend and say the right things, do the right things. How could I when so much time had passed and we barely knew each other anymore? The Jazmine I grew up with was trusting, optimistic, a free spirit. This one was something entirely different.

Well, not entirely. She offered me a small smile, patting the ground beside her. "I could use some company," She said softly. I jammed my hands in my sweatshirt, walking towards her. She watched me, a strange expression on her face. It was only strange because it wasn't one I was familiar with. "What's up?" She asked as I sat beside her.

Oh, a lot was up. I wanted to yell at her. To pull her hair, make her mad, make her kick and scream like she used to do. I wanted her to do something. _Anything_.

Most of all, I wanted her to tell me where she thought she got off, just deciding to up and leave like that. After all we'd done to get us here and she was just going to breeze out of our lives as if none of it mattered? Didn't we matter? Hadn't _I _mattered?

"You can't go." I'd meant for my voice to come out stronger than it did, but to my own ears it sounded sad. Jazmine shrugged, looking away again.

"It would be the best thing for everyone."

"For who? For _you?_" I shook my head. "How are we supposed to just not worry about you when you leave? Did you think about that?" She opened her mouth but I kept talking. "And what about Riley? He's so much calmer when you're around. Hiro, he gets involved more instead of just staying in his room. Maya's even gotten ten times better than she used to be! You can't just change everything and then leave it."

"That's not what I'm doing-"

"Then what are you doing?" I regretted how whiny I sounded, but there was nothing I could do about it. "What about Huey? He'd _hate _it if you left. He'd be so miserable, and it's not like he's the happiest guy in the world to _start _with-"

"Cin-"

"And what about _me_?" I choked, feeling the tears welling in my eyes. Oh, boy. "How are you supposed to be my maid of honor if you're in another country and I'm never going to be able to see you or even talk to you again? How am I supposed to get married and have that be the happiest day of my life if you aren't there?" The tears started pouring out and I didn't even care. Jazmine's face was a blur in front of my eyes but I kept going. "You're not thinking about anyone else! You just want to get away because you feel like things suck. Well, life sucks! And you can't just keep running from your problems!" I glared at her. "I can't believe you're being so _selfish_-"

SLAP.

The force hit my face so hard that I heard a ringing in my ears. I lifted my hand to my cheek, staring at Jazmine in disbelief. She looked shocked as well, as if she couldn't believe she'd just done that. Regardless, her eyes narrowed.

"I am _not _selfish," She said, her own voice shaky. "For most of my life I've done what's best for other people. I kept out of politics because it was what my parents wanted. I kept on a brave face when my mother died, when every last one of you disappeared, because I had to be strong. I had to be strong for my dad as well as everyone else at school who was confused as to what was going on. I was taken here against my will at the time and tried to hurry up and adjust because it was the best for you guys." Her eyes were filling as well. "I _killed _someone because I had to protect people I cared about. And…" She stopped, taking a shaky breath. "I let Huey break my heart because it was what he _wanted_. So maybe I'm sick and _tired _of thinking about other people. I'm just so tired." She stood to her feet, spinning around to head back inside. "I don't _need _this right now-"

She gasped as I jumped up as well, grabbing her by her arm and spinning her around. Only instead of beating her ass, which was what she probably expected, I hugged her.

She was taller than me by a few inches but I pulled her head down so that it was resting against my shoulder anyways. My face was still hot and tears were still leaking out of my eyes, but I ignored them.

Jazmine instantly relaxed in my embrace, crying into my collar. "I'm sorry," She cried. I nodded, hugging her tighter.

"It doesn't matter." I swallowed, trying to slow the tears. "But you can't leave. You just can't."

It always fascinated me how when you took away people's looks, their exteriors, just how much the same we all were. Really, we were just people all trying to love. To be free. To be happy. It shouldn't have had to be so hard, but it was. It was enough to kill someone.

Little did any of us know, it soon would.

* * *

_So...just a heads up...you should probably break out the hankie for the next few...er, rest of the story? Yeaaaahhh..._

_Thanks for reading! Review!!!!!!!!_

_...PUH-LEESE?!_

_-Kelsey_


	24. Chapter Twenty Three

_So I definitely told myself I wasn't going to update for at least another week due to my need to stop being a lazy whore and study more, but I had a long gap between my two classes today and spent it writing (I'm going into nursing yet I _write stories _for fun. Wtf?!) a chapter for another story I _am not putting up yet_. Why? Because I suck. Durrr._

_I listened to a lot of Kaskade and Deadmau5 while writing this chapter for some odd reason that I can't figure out...if you know who they are you're automatically cool. If you don't then _fail_._

_Also, some of you might think it's short...um, no. It's over 8,000+ words. So &*$%&*$%%&*!!!! (Kidding. Excuse me. I'm pretty psyched that I have no school on fridays and can sleep to my heart's content.)_

_And...oooh, yeah! I have a poll up, which I'm noticing I usually do near the end of a story. It's basically asking you (since I care about my reader's opinions. You're spechul!!) which story you'd want to see done next. And if you go down my profile page you'll see a summary of them so don't fret if you don't recognize the titles and go "OMG WAT DO I DUUU?!". Because I will laugh at you and call you a big dummy. Hey. I ain't _that _caring._

_Almost forgot! Thank you to DarkSmile (hey hey hey! Where have _you _been?!), KrisD.723, MizzC (whose facebook I blow up like some stalker...sorry gurl. lol), and Hershey-chan for the reviews!_

_This long ass author's note...I mean, seriously. What _is _this?_

_%*$&%*$%#*%*!!!!!_

_...(just ignore me)_

_Disclaimer: The Boondocks still isn't mine._

* * *

Old Soul

Chapter Twenty-Three

_"Good people will do good things, lots of them, because they are good people. They will do bad things because they are human."_

_-Harold S. Kushner_

* * *

_December 29, 2022  
Jazmine_

"Wake up." I could feel someone shaking me roughly, their palms flat against my shoulder blades. It made my head flop all around so that my nose winded up buried in my pillow.

"Mrhumph?" I lifted my head, blowing strands of hair out of my face. I sat up on my elbows to look at Hiro, who was staring down at me. The room was still pretty dark except for a thin strip of light that fell over my bed from the cracked door. It was a clear indication that it was either too late or too early for him to be waking me up like this. "What?" I whispered. I only bothered whispering because I could see a lump of blankets that had a tuft of dark curls sticking out from underneath on the other bed. If I was so tired and confused I'd laugh at the loud snores that were also erupting from the other side of the room. Hiro nodded.

"It's time."

I rubbed my eyes, staring at him for another few moments before it sunk in. My jaw dropped.

"Wait…_now_?" I glanced at my clock. _2:38 am_. "I have to go get my passport right _now_?"

"Yup." Hiro clapped me on the shoulder, striding for the door. "It's ready. And a lot less likely that someone would trail us this early in the morning. Not to mention the guy said he wanted to do it as soon as it got in. And it got in about fifteen minutes ago. So get up. We're already downstairs."

"_We_?" I blinked. I wasn't really looking forward to leaving, so this coming up so sudden was a bit much to grasp. "Who's "we"?"

But he'd already disappeared.

* * *

_Huey_

I still couldn't believe she was actually going through with this.

"Alright." Hiro, Jazmine and I were walking down the sidewalk, trying not to look too suspicious considering it was three in the morning. It was even colder being that the sun wasn't up yet, which wasn't _too _annoying. "So we get her passport…then what?"

"She lucked out." Hiro grinned, as if he were doing me a favor. "I got a flight for four this afternoon."

"Four?" _That's only about twelve hours away! _"So soon?"

"Well, we don't want any more "leads" on her whereabouts to bring anyone closer to us," Hiro explained. Jazmine was walking on his other side, her hands tucked in her pockets and her face impassive. That or she was just tired. "If we're going to get her out of the country we can't wait too long." He looked towards Jazmine. "I wonder if they've caught on to your hair being changed. Maybe we should cut it…"

"No." It wasn't her that spoke, but me. I couldn't help it; it was bad enough it had been altered in the first place. "She should be fine. Just leave it alone."

Hiro nodded, staring straight ahead. I managed to catch Jazmine's eye but it was gone within seconds; she focused her attention ahead as well. I sighed, digging my own hands in my coat pockets.

She was going. She was actually going to France. It wouldn't have been so bad if it were temporary, if I'd be able to check on her from time to time, but no. The moment that plane took off, she'd be gone. Forever.

Hiro jogged up the steps to some townhouse, knocking lightly on the door. Jazmine started after him but I pulled her arm, stopping her in her tracks.

"You don't have to do this." I raised my eyebrow as she kept her eyes towards the door, which Hiro was standing in front of patiently. "You know that, right?"

"I know." Jazmine tried to pull her arm away but I held on, my eyes narrowing.

"Does this have anything to do with me?" I asked. Jazmine snorted.

"Please. The world doesn't revolve around you, Huey Freeman."

I raised my eyebrow, surprised at the dark tone that she'd used, how cold her eyes were even though she wasn't even looking my way. Above us the front door was opening and Hiro was starting inside. He beckoned to us.

"Come on."

Jazmine started forward again but I pulled her back again, shaking my head. "Give us a minute," I said evenly, looking past her to him. He raised an eyebrow of his own but shrugged, disappearing into the house. The front door closed and I let go of her arm, causing her to turn away completely so that I was staring at her back.

"This is pathetic." I leaned against the railing that ran up the sides of the stairs, shaking my head. "You know that, right?"

She didn't say anything. I sighed, massaging my temples.

"If you feel like leaving would benefit you then fine," I said as calmly as possible, even though all I wanted to do was yell. "But don't try to hide behind the "I'm protecting you all" excuse, because we don't need it. You're the one who need us more than we need you."

_Wrong _answer. I could tell by the way her already stiff shoulders tensed even more, the way her hand tightened around its grasp on the banister. I heard her sigh, annoyed.

"I _don't _need you." Her voice was icy, minus a tiny tremor I managed to catch underneath. I folded my arms over my chest and lifted my chin. "And I _know _you guys don't need me. Thanks for the reminder."

That had come out all wrong. I shook my head. "That wasn't the point I was trying-"

"Then get to the point so that I can go get my damn passport and get on with my life!" Jazmine yelled, clenching her fists by her sides. "I _don't _need you!"

"You do," I snapped, not being able to keep down my anger any longer. "If it weren't for us you'd be rotting in a federal prison right now. Scratch that, you'd probably be _dead_-"

"And without me you'd be long gone!" Jazmine shot back. "You'd be dead in a field in rural Illinois-"

"-if you weren't here I probably wouldn't have even had to go that way to crash in the first place!" I roared over her. "So get over yourself!"

"You get over _your_self!" Jazmine finally whirled around, her eyes narrowed. "You're so big and so bad because you're a leader and you can beat anyone's ass who stands in your way! Well guess what?" She leaned forward as if it would give her words more impact. "You're a _coward_!"

"I'm the coward?" I leaned forward as well. "You're the one going to fucking France because you can't handle your own problems!"

"No! I can handle those!" Jazmine screamed, louder than we'd been previously. Her voice was so high I had the urge to cover my ears. "I can't handle _you_!"

The echo from her outburst faded, leaving a dull ringing sensation in my ears. I stared at her quietly as she, realizing her words, leaned back against the banister again, staring down at me. I paused.

"You said it wasn't about me."

Jazmine shrugged, biting her lip. "I say a lot of things. So do you."

I looked down to my feet. I could see her shifting nervously above me. After a few moments of silence she moved again, turning towards the door.

"I should go-"

"No." My hand shot out again, grasping her arm. I looked up as she narrowed her eyes at me. "Not yet."

"There's nothing else to talk about," Jazmine said quietly, shaking her head. I could see the tears she was trying so hard to keep at bay balanced on her eyelashes. "I'm going. In the long run, it will be better for the rest of you. It'll be better for me."

"It won't be." I shook my head myself. "It won't be good for us, and it probably won't be any better for you."

"How do you know?" Jazmine moved her arm out from under my fingers, her posture conveying her doubt. I groaned quietly, running my hand through my hair.

I couldn't say it. I just _couldn't_.

"I just know, alright?"

Jazmine swallowed, turning away. "Not good enough."

"I do know!" I snapped, partially due to my frustration and the rest due to the embarrassment of what was about to come out of my mouth. "I know, because…because when you're not around I get restless." She lifted her eyebrow, making me want to cringe. That sounded pretty stupid, even to my ears, so I tried again. "I think about you. A lot. I think about you when you're out somewhere, I think about you when you're in the other end of the house. I even think about you when we're in the same _room_!" I threw up my hands. "And it's…_pathetic_ how I can't get anything done unless I know that you're okay! And how when you're not around, things just don't make sense like they're supposed to…"

Jazmine was staring down at me, her eyebrows lifted. Her dark hair blew behind her like a cape. I shook my head, closing my eyes.

"I need you here, Jazmine. I do." I opened my eyes again, zeroing in on her green irises. "Everything is just clearer with you around. I don't know why, I don't know how, but it _is_. I don't care if we're not together. I don't give a _damn _if you've been with Cairo, or Riley, or whoever the hell else we know! It doesn't matter." I took a deep breath, trying to calm the rattling in my chest. "I just need _you_."

Jazmine's eyes were soft now, her mouth slightly open as she stared back at me. She quickly closed it, biting her lip and looking as if she were going to start crying for real. I sighed, shaking my head. She must have thought I was an idiot. I knew I did.

"I did the best I could," I confessed, my throat tight. I felt so stupid trying to put into words all these feelings I had when there was no possible way any word that existed could explain. "I really did."

Jazmine nodded, the tears falling down her face. She lifted a hand to her mouth and took a step towards me, her eyes never leaving mine.

"I…" She paused, looking down. "I can't…" She looked back at me desperately, her eyes welling up still. "I don't know what to _say_-"

I started to open my mouth, but as if a cold wind had blown over the back of my neck, I felt an impulse to look behind me. I did, my eyes narrowed. There was nothing, except for a silent neighborhood street and a few streetlights. The moon was peeking through the clouds, in its downward route towards the western horizon. I blinked.

That was weird.

In the corner of my eye, above one of the buildings on the other side of the street, I saw a shadow move. I quickly lifted my head towards it, barely having time for it to register before I was grabbing Jazmine by her waist, pulling her down.

"Move!"

There was a low whistling sound, followed by the sound of a blast behind us that sounded like it was coming from inside the house. I looked up from the ground to see a bullet hole in the front door, right behind where Jazmine had just been standing. I looked down beside me to see her staring up at me, her eyes wide.

"Huey-" She started to say, but cut off the moment she followed my gaze to see the shooter taking aim again. She screamed and I pulled her by her shoulders, rolling her around just as there was another blast. The bullet hit the corner of the steps and off pure instinct I pushed Jazmine's face to the ground and flattened myself as well, the bullet ricocheting off the concrete and soaring over our heads. I heard a crash in the distance, indicating that it had hit something else. I heard a second blast that came from inside the house but I ignored it, reaching to my side and pulling out my own gun. I aimed it at the roof of the other building, missing.

"Go inside!" I yelled to Jazmine but she shook her head, balancing beside me on her hands and knees.

"No!"

"Damn it, don't _argue _with me right now!"

"Fine!" Jazmine yelled, jumping to her feet and running up the steps as the gunman took aim again, firing.

"Duck!" I yelled towards her. She dropped automatically to the ground as another one whizzed past her. I aimed again but the guy ducked, avoiding it. Behind me, I heard the front door open. Then, Jazmine screamed.

I felt my heart stop in my throat and whirled around to see her stumbling back down the steps, a man in a black suit standing in the doorway. He had a gun of his own, pointing it towards her. The gold cross on his breast pocket gleamed eerily in the moonlight.

The noises that had come from inside the house. He couldn't have killed them…

In the corner of my eye I saw the other gunman take aim as well and, with my head still facing Jazmine, quickly aimed towards him and fired. I didn't even look to see if I hit him, automatically pointing the barrel towards the man feet from me instead.

"Who are you?" I snapped. Jazmine was staring at him, her eyes wide. He shook his head quickly, looking from me to her.

"I don't want you." His voice was low, cold. "Just the girl."

I narrowed my eyes, my finger on the trigger. "No." He looked at me and shook his head, clenching his gloved hand.

"You might not want to do that," He advised, nodding past me. "Unless, you want to deal with his mess."

I looked over my shoulder to see the man still standing on the building. Only, he wasn't shooting. He was just watching. Waiting.

For what?

"I don't need you giving me warnings," I snapped, looking back to him. Jazmine was frozen in her tracks, glancing from me to him, her hands gripping the railing as if she were holding on for dear life. "Now, tell me why you're here."

"Why do you think?" He nodded towards her. "Ms. Alston is a threat to everything we stand for. We can't just have her running around, undoing all our progress."

"She has nothing to do with this," I said through clenched teeth. She looked scared. "Now _leave her alone_."

The man chuckled, but nodded. "Alright." He pointed his gun at me. "I'm not the last one coming, just so you know." He shrugged. "They know she's here. And they won't rest until they get her-"

_Bang_. I didn't even let him finish. He fell onto the steps, rolling down until he was on the sidewalk, no more than a foot away from me.

Well. That had been easier than I thought it would be.

I hurriedly pointed my gun to the other side of the street, but the other man had disappeared. I was on my feet in an instant, wandering into the middle of the street and dragging a shaken Jazmine with me, pushing her behind my back.

"Where did he _go_?" I mumbled, more to myself than anyone else.

"I don't know, but don't you think we should get Hiro and get out of here?" She asked in a trembling voice. Just as I went to reply I heard a strange beeping.

A beeping that was becoming faster and faster…my eyes widened.

The now dead man's voice popped into my head. _'You might not want to do that…_' He'd said.

"No," I whispered. Jazmine looked up.

"Huh?"

The beeping suddenly stopped, and there was a blast; a blast so hard that it shook the ground underneath our feet, so strong that it blew an angry inferno of brick, smoke, and flames against us. I pulled Jazmine down to the ground, covering her body with my own as another blast sent a wave of heat over us, more debris falling on top of us like sleet. After a few moments I slowly sat up and Jazmine rolled over as well. We both stared up in horror.

"No!" Jazmine screamed, jumping to her feet and starting towards the remainder of the house regardless of the fact that it was still on fire, her sneakers hitting the pavement as hard as the scattered debris around us. "Hiro!"

"Jazmine, no!" I yelled, jumping up and racing after her, catching her and pulling her back. Behind us people were pouring out of their houses, their eyes wide and reflecting the flames that still licked at the remains of the structure that once stood in their place. She fought against me, kicking and punching but I held on.

"Stop!" She yelled, her movement slowing. "Let me _go_…"

And then she was sobbing, gripping onto my collar with her soot covered fists, her wails louder than the screaming and outbursts behind us. People were streaming around now, some of them daring to get closer to the house, but I held back, wrapping my arms around Jazmine's trembling body and closing my eyes, trying to keep from shaking myself. He'd warned me. I'd saved Jazmine, but at a price.

I'd killed my own friend.

I opened my eyes again, trying to keep my anger at bay, and froze as they settled on a familiar figure in black, a silent assassin who had been impossible to kill. He was no longer on the roof but was instead on the corner, away from the chaos. He grinned at me, twirling his index finger in triumph.

A small, cylinder detonator, the size of a mini flashlight, hung from his hand.

* * *

_Jazmine_

Everyone was quiet.

The house was so silent it was as if life had a TV and someone had hit the mute button. We all sat assembled in the living room, none of us saying a word. Maya, Caesar and Cindy were on the couch, the girls' eyes filled with tears and Caesar's own misty. Cairo was on the floor beside the couch, his chin on his knees and his hand on his chin, as if he were deep in thought. Riley was at the kitchen table, his arms folded on the surface and his chin on them. Huey sat in the armchair, his injured leg stretched to the floor but his other one bent to his chest. He was looking at the floor, his expression filled with guilt. I was standing, leaning against the banister that led upstairs.

"So it was a catch 22," Maya finally whispered. Everyone looked at her. "If Jazmine would have went with the man then they would've left, but since she stayed-"

"No-" Huey interrupted, sounding full of self loathing. "They killed Hiro because _I _killed their man. A life for a life." He sighed, shaking his head. "It always seems to be that way with us." His voice grew quiet. "I can't believe I was so stupid. This is all my fault-"

"It's not." Cindy shook her head, wiping her eyes. "Don't beat yourself up over it. You said yourself you heard gunshots in the house even before it exploded. They'd killed him before you even knew he was there."

"She's right," Caesar added. "Even if the guy would've got Jazmine, you wouldn't have been able to save Hiro. He was just in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"But we _were _supposed to be in there." Huey's voice was strained. "Jazmine and I…we waited outside. If we would've went in with him-"

"The man might have killed both of you before you even had the chance to notice him," Cindy interrupted, shaking her head again, her blue eyes narrowed. "You can't dwell on that."

"But how did they know the three of them would even be going there then?" Cairo asked. "_We _didn't even know they'd left."

"They know." I spoke for the first time, my throat dry and my voice hoarse. They all looked at me. "They know where I am."

Cairo straightened. They all exchanged worried looks. Even Riley sat up.

"How-"

"They're probably watching us now," I said, thinking of the man I'd seen outside Cairo's window that night, which seemed like years ago. It was a hunch, but my intuition told me I was right. "They're probably watching _all _of us."

Maya swallowed.

"Then what's stopping them from just coming in here and killing us all?" Cindy asked. Huey looked up.

"I think I've caught on," He said quietly, causing everyone to look at him. His eyes fell back to the floor. "They found out about Jazmine being in New York through Reese, who was trying to save his own life. They watched us for a while, probably the couple of weeks Jazmine was in the hospital. Either they thought she was somewhere else and dropped their guard or they thought Reese had suceeded in killing her, and they didn't bother harming any of us since they felt there was no need. The night at that ball, someone might have recognized her. I don't know, maybe it was one of those guys who found us hiding. But they found her, probably mentioned it to someone else, and got guys to tail us." He looked around, seeing everyone's stunned faces. "But that's just a guess."

"A better guess than I had," Maya mumbled.

"They don't want Jazmine dead," He went on, sitting up. "I could tell by the way that shooter on the roof aimed. He aimed as if he didn't want to get a direct hit. Even if he did, he would've just taken the long opportunity when we were standing there unknowing. He could've killed us both. They want her alive, probably to see if they can get any information about the resistance out of her. If we were in the house then they probably still would have set off the bomb, but only if they could've gotten her out first."

Cairo and Caesar looked at me and I lowered my eyes.

"Then what do we do now?" Maya asked softly. Huey sighed.

"I don't know."

The room fell silent again. I sat down on the bottom step, my head in my hands. My hands and legs were still shaking, my mind replaying the explosion over and over, like it was stuck. Hiro had died, and it was all my fault. If I wouldn't have been so set on going to France…

The point of me leaving had been to keep this kind of thing _from _happening! Now an innocent person, my _friend_, had died trying to protect my useless ass. And it was all my fault.

Useless…

"We could try moving again-" Cairo started but Huey shook his head.

"They'd follow us."

I _wasn't _useless. The whole reason we were hiding, the whole reason people from the government were after them was because of _me_. I was valuable to them, an asset. Someone who they wanted more than anyone else in the world. Which was pretty hard to believe.

But…it worked.

"Then what, we wait for them to charge in here and take her? We just let them come for her?" Cindy asked. I stood to my feet, wiping my hands on my palms.

"No." My voice was trembling and I tried to steady it. They glanced at me. "I go to them."

Everyone's eyes widened. Riley's jaw dropped. Maya started choking.

"Ex-_cuse _me?!" She gasped, clutching her throat.

"No." Huey shook his head.

"Nuh uh!" Cindy looked horrified.

"No way." Cairo gave me a look.

"Hell no!" Caesar added.

But I didn't care what they said. It was the _only _way this was going to end. They'd stop at nothing to get me, and there was no way I'd let them hurt anyone else. Which was exactly what I said.

"If we stay here and do nothing, they're going to come for me," I said, walking to the center of the room and pacing. It was as if my grief was channeling some inner strength I didn't know I had. I didn't feel scared. I felt mad as hell. "They don't care if you guys live or die. They'll kill you all to get to me."

"Then-" Huey started, but I cut him off.

"No." I shook my head. "I am _not _going to keep hiding like some coward behind you all and watching as you die one by one."

Huey looked exasperated. "You're not a coward."

"Jazmine, do you know what's going to happen if you do that?" Cairo asked me, his own eyes filled with worry. "They'd arrest you. They might even torture you." He stopped, wincing. "They'll probably kill you."

"I don't care."

"Well _we _care!" Caesar threw up his hands. "What do you think all of this has been for? We can't just have done all of this only to let them take you!"

"There's no other way!" I shouted, causing him to abruptly shut his mouth. "Either I go now and they kill me, or they come here and kill me along with the rest of you! Don't you _see_?" I tapped my temple with my index finger. "Once I'm gone, you guys could go somewhere and start over. They won't have a reason to look for you, unless you give them another one."

I saw them all look at each other again, nervous. It wasn't like before, where they were nervous because of my idea.

They were nervous because they realized I was right. All except for one.

"No." Huey's voice was hard, his eyes narrowed. "There's no way-"

"I don't care if you agree with me or not," I said, lifting my chin and looking him dead in the eye. "I'll go with your approval or without it."

A muscle in the side of his neck throbbed and he set his jaw. Cindy sighed, biting her lip.

"What do you need me to do?" She looked up at me slowly, trying to keep from crying. "I don't agree with you. But if you're going to go through with it regardless-"

"I don't need you to do anything," I said, slightly surprised. Caesar bolted up, his eyes wide.

"You do. You need all of us." He exhaled heavily. "Because I have a plan."

Everyone's heads snapped towards him. Huey gave him a look.

"You _do_?" He sounded more angry than enthusiastic. Caesar nodded.

"Jazmine goes and turns herself in. We find out where she's going. We follow her." He grinned. "And we bust her out of there."

The room fell silent again. Everyone stared at each other, examining one another's faces. Finally, Maya nodded.

"We could get other members to help us." She looked at me. "There aren't many resistance people who wouldn't want to help rescue the legendary Jazmine DuBois."

"We could call Lena and Katrina back in Chicago if we need any computer help," Cairo added, snapping his fingers. His face fell. "Even though we'd have to break the news to Katrina about Hiro…"

Everyone quieted again, except for Huey, who was shaking his head.

"No." He was quiet, so quiet that no one else seemed to hear him.

"How could we figure out where they were going, though? They're probably going to be on the lookout for anyone who tries to tail them," Cindy pointed out.

"Then we start late," Caesar suggested. "Late enough where they won't suspect us, early enough where we can still follow them."

Since I was closest to the door I was the only one who noticed the plain, white envelope slip underneath the front door. I walked towards it while still listening to the others, picking it up and reading the front.

_Jazmine Alston_.

Well. Who in the world could _that _have come from?

"If we get the right tools we wouldn't even have to straight follow them," Cairo pointed out. "And some members are technologically advanced to the point where they have those."

"_No_."

I unfolded the paper that was inside, walking back towards the others.

_'We'll give you until midnight. No one comes with you and no one else gets harmed. Bring the ampscine._

_'Go to ground zero. We'll be waiting.'_

I sat back down on the bottom step, contemplating the letter.

"Well, who would go, then?" Cindy started, but suddenly there was a loud noise as Huey slammed his fist on the table, making us all jump.

"Are any of you _listening _to me?" He snapped, causing everyone to flinch. His eyes hardened. "This isn't some game! She's not going!" He looked at me. "You're _not _going."

I looked back, my own eyes narrowed. "I am."

"You're _not_."

"I am!" I jumped back up. "And you can't stop me!"

Huey stared at me, expressionless. Then, finally, he planted his hands on either side of him and swung up to his feet, giving me a cold glare.

"If you want to get yourself killed, then _fine_." He stormed towards his room. "I don't want any part of it."

The door slammed and everyone looked at each other again. I felt the urge to cry but I ignored it, shaking my head.

I'd much rather have Huey alive and pissed at me than dead. And if me turning myself in was what it took, then that was all well and good. At least, it would be.

I glanced around, my stomach slightly dropping. Would this be the last day I'd ever get to spend with them all? I felt my breath catch in my throat and I closed my eyes, trying to focus on proper breathing.

"Well." Maya's tone was filled with sarcasm. "Now that our leader's pissed and not backing us…" She sighed. "How do we know you're supposed to meet them?"

I opened my eyes again, clearing my throat. They looked at me and I held up the brief letter.

"I think I have an idea."

* * *

_Huey _

I didn't even acknowledge them when I heard the knocks on the door. Instead I stared straight ahead from my spot on the side of my bed, trying to ignore them.

"Huey." Jazmine's voice slipped through the cracks and I flinched, closing my eyes. "Come on." She tried the doorknob, but it was locked. There was a pause. "Open the door? Please?"

I sucked my teeth, opening my eyes again. I knew this was pretty childish behavior, especially for me. But what was I supposed to say? She was going to throw her life away after all we'd done to keep her here.

Logically speaking, she _was _right. I couldn't deny that. And with the proper planning there was a good chance that we could save her, as long as we had the means. Which, with us being surrounded by resistance people, it wouldn't be so hard to accomplish.

However, as much I wanted to deny it, logics no longer applied to her. I could pretend that I didn't feel an emotional bond towards her, but I wouldn't be fooling anyone. Not even her. _Especially_ not myself.

Which was why I was so against her going. Didn't she realize that there was an extremely good chance she _wouldn't _come back? That she'd die and I'd have to live with the knowledge for the rest of my life that not only did I not keep my promise to Tom, I'd also lost the only person I really love-

Whoa. Where had _that _word come from?

"I hope you aren't beating yourself up over this morning," She said softly, her voice weighed with concern. "It wasn't your fault."

Easy for her to say. She wasn't the one that completely ignored a warning and blew up her friend. Then again that wasn't fair to say. She too felt guilty about things that couldn't be controlled. Either way I groaned, flopping on my back and wishing she'd just realize what a jerk I was being and go away.

Of course, she never did what I wanted her to.

"Well, now that I know you're alive," She said sardonically, referring to the noise I'd made, "I guess I'll just talk to you through here." She sighed, and I could tell by the way the door slightly shook that she was leaning against it. "Why are you so mad? If you were in my place you'd do the exact same thing."

She was right. But that was beside the point.

"I've lost everyone, Huey." Jazmine's voice wasn't sad like it usually was when she talked about her family. "I've lost everyone I love to these people, to this war. I don't want to lose anyone else. And even if I don't make it back, what's one life for a thousand that I might be sparing just turning myself in?"

I wanted to snap at her for even beginning to think any of those one thousand lives would mean more to me than hers, but I managed to keep quiet, my eyes on the floor.

"I know you feel as if you have this promise to keep, since my dad asked you to protect me," She went on. Her voice was strained. "But there comes a time when everyone has to protect themselves. I can't keep hiding behind other people. I can't keep sitting back and letting others fight for my protection. Besides, maybe I can find out some information while I'm there. And…_if _I get out, I'll just have more of the government's plans to share with you."

I felt a shudder go through me as I imagined this being the last conversation I'd ever have with her. The last possible verbal communication and I wasn't even _saying _anything. I clenched my fists, sighing.

"I kind of wanted to tell you this to your face," Jazmine continued, her voice a bit quieter. "But...I need you, too." I looked towards the door, my eyebrow raised. "I've always needed you, even when we were back in Woodcrest. But my mom, she died, and the pain was so bad…I didn't want to get close to anyone. I didn't want to ever have to feel that pain again." She snorted. "In a way, I kind of understood why you didn't want to be with me, after I thought about it for awhile. You didn't want to feel any pain either." Her voice dropped even lower. "I guess we have a lot more in common than either of us know."

I sat up straighter. I could feel my jaw loosening, my eyes softening. I wanted to jump up and fling the door open, but I stayed rooted to the spot, hanging on to her every word.

"Thank you. For everything you've done for me." Jazmine swallowed, her voice wet. "The others, they say they're going to get me out…but I'm not so sure. They make it sound so easy. None of us know what to expect." She stopped, sniffing. "I don't care if we recently spent the majority of our time mad at each other. I've always considered you my best friend." She paused. "And I've always loved you."

I closed my eyes, swallowing.

"Well, that's it." She paused. "So I'll just…leave you to your thoughts." I heard her move off the door. "Sooo-"

"Wait!" I jumped to my feet, racing to the door and getting annoyed at how my cast seemed to weigh down my leg at the _wrong _times. I practically ripped the door off the hinges to expose a teary eyed, bewildered looking Jazmine.

"I-" She started to say but I cut her off, quickly closing the small distance between us and kissing her. For a moment she stiffened but then she threw her arms around my neck, leaning into me. My arms wound around her waist, pulling her even closer, so close that I could feel her heartbeat through my shirt. I tried to hold on as long as I could, tried to commit her heartbeat to memory as long as I could. In case I had to remember what it felt like for the future. In case she didn't make it out of this.

I broke the kiss, staring down at her, my chest heaving. Her face was slightly pink.

I didn't like this, not in the slightest. But if she was going to do this, if she was willing to give herself up for the rest of us, then I was going to be there in case she needed someone to do the same for her. "So." I swallowed, my eyes narrowing in concentration. "What's the plan?"

* * *

_Jazmine_

I wasn't afraid.

I'd put on a pair of my favorite jeans and a black tank top. I'd shrugged into my black leather jacket and tied my surprisingly straight hair (thanks to Maya) away from my face, leaving the back of it to hang down my back. Just because I was going into captivity didn't mean I wanted to look ugly.

Maya had cried when it came time for me to go, and even I had teared up. It was funny how we'd started off not being able to stand each other and now I saw her like a sister. She'd hugged me, only letting go because Cairo pinched her in the side so that he could get his own hug. I felt even more ready to cry with him. He was such a good friend…and if my heart wasn't already taken we would've been good together. I was glad that we didn't have any ill feelings towards each other. He was a really good guy.

Even Riley had been struggling not to cry when I hugged him, even though he tried to blame it on something getting in his eye. For his own sake I'd acted as if I believed him.

Huey, Caesar and Cindy…they were coming with me. I'd tried to talk them out of it but they'd ignored me.

"How are we supposed to know where you're going if we don't?" Caesar had asked, rolling his eyes.

"And I ain't staying home. Fuck that," Cindy had added.

Huey hadn't added anything; he'd just looked at me. I already knew without having to open my mouth that he wasn't going to change his mind, that he would follow as long as possible. So I hadn't objected. It was funny how easily we could communicate without even using words.

He and Caesar had checked outside to see if anyone was watching us. After deeming it clear and saying how they wouldn't go all the way just in case, the three of them had walked me to ground zero, which wasn't that far from where we lived. They'd stopped a couple blocks away, turning towards me to say their goodbyes.

"Here." Huey attached some small clip underneath my hair, right by my hairline. I could feel it, cold and small, against the back of my neck. "It looks like a bobby pin and it's black like your hair so it should blend in. If all goes well they'll at least say where they're going before they find it and get rid of it. If things go _really _well, they'll keep it on and we'll be able to get reception as long as you're in New York, and even longer if we stay within a one hundred mile radius of you."

"It has some kind of signal so we'll be able to tell when you leave the state," Caesar had added. "Which, there's a good chance you will."

I nodded, checking my wristwatch. _11:54_.

"You won't be in there for long," Caesar reassured me, even though I wasn't sure if I should believe him. "Maya already got someone to tail them for us until we catch up, just so they won't recognize us."

"And what are you going to do when you _do _catch up?" I'd asked, giving him a look. He'd rolled his eyes.

"You let us worry about that. You worry about staying alive."

I'd hugged him, then Cindy, trying not to get all emotional. Which, of course, hadn't gotten _too _hard, especially when I looked up at Huey.

_Right._

He's taken a step towards me before, feeling the eyes of his best friends on his back, he'd turned around to look at them. "Can you two at least _act _like you aren't watching?" He'd asked, annoyed. Caesar and Cindy had smirked and I'd even cracked a smile. Rolling his eyes he'd held out his hands, the small rectangular ampscine in them. I'd taken it from him, rolling it around between my palms as I looked back up.

"Be careful."

He'd rolled his eyes again. "You _would _tell me to be careful when you're the one about to be imprisoned."

I shrugged and he'd bent down, kissing me so fast that I wasn't even sure it had happened until it was over. I knew it was in hopes that Caesar and Cindy wouldn't catch it, which, they still did.

"Bawwww-" They'd echoed in unison.

"Can you guys be _serious_?" He'd snapped, glaring. They'd laughed.

"He's so shy…" Cindy giggled, causing them both to laugh all over again

"Whatever." He'd sighed.

So, it was nice to have those memories to think about as I walked to certain doom. I could feel the stares of my friends behind me. Even if they were powerless to save me, I wasn't afraid.

_'I won't show fear. I won't show weakness.'_

My sneakers smacked against the pavement, echoing through the vacant space. There were streetlights that illuminated the wide expanse of debris, dirt and grass that I was heading toward. As I kept forward, my shoulders square and my face calm, I could feel more than just the stares of Huey, Caesar and Cindy, on me. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a figure appear on the rooftop of a bordering building. Then another. Then…another.

_'I am strong. I am brave.'_

On either side of me, there were people, all dressed in black suits, all watching me as I made my way through the gate that led into ground zero. I swallowed, letting it close behind me and glanced at my watch.

_11:59._

"Well. Ms. Alston." The masculine voice sent a chill down my spine that I refused to acknowledge. "It's good to see you could finally make it."

I looked up to see a tall, dark haired man turn towards me. He smiled at me with straight, white teeth.

Thomas Addison.

So all along he _had _been after me. Or was he just one of the many involved? I pressed my lips together, my arms hanging by my sides. I gazed around, taking deep breaths.

I was only one when it happened, but where I was had once stood two buildings. They were called the twin towers, and they'd been taken down by a terrorist attack, the same kind of attacks that the government claimed they were preventing with the elimination of other religions. There'd been so many deaths that day that the death toll still wasn't known, even to this day.

I thought of all the people who had lost their lives here; businessmen, firefighters, paramedics and people. Normal, breathing, innocent people. I thought of the bravery, the courage that they'd had, knowingly rushing into danger to rescue those they didn't even know and would probably never meet. I thought of the people who had known death was coming and had faced it with guts and nerves that they probably hadn't even thought they'd possessed.

Lastly, I thought of my father, a man who had fought for the rights of other people even though his had already been secure. I thought of Huey's granddad, who had never been afraid of anyone other than god. And I thought of Hiro, who had been loyal, courageous and true, until the very end.

And in that moment, I felt peace. I felt as if all those people, all of their courage was here for me to use. It was here for me to make use of, for me to exercise until the last of my energy had died out, until the last of my breath had left me. I felt as if maybe, maybe their spirits were with me. And I wasn't afraid.

_'I am more powerful than they'll ever know.'_

I shoved my hands into my jacket, the ampscine poking through the inside of my pocket and digging into my ribs. I lifted my chin and gave him a look of my own. I could feel more than I could see the others who had been onlooking closing in around me, but still I focused on Addison.

"It's good to be here," I said sarcastically. He frowned; obviously he'd been expecting a cowering, pleading girl instead of the fearless, un-intimidated woman who was facing him off. His mouth quickly turned into a sneer. "So. Let's get this show on the road, shall we?"

He smirked, nodding to something I couldn't see, to some point behind me that I wasn't even going to bother to look for. "Why, of course." He stepped back, smirking. "We shall."

For a moment, nothing happened. Then, there was a sudden, painful crack against the back of my head, one that made me see stars, one that made my feet tilt from under me so that the ground became my sky and consciousness faded like a dream.

* * *

_They _would _wait until the last possible moment to reconcile, wouldn't they? :P_

_Um...I want to say...three chapters left. Maybe one more. Definitely _not _one less. I like the number 27 though, so hopefully it'll only be three so that this will have 27 chapters total (which will be my longest completed story to date. Woooo!)_

_Because I like sharing fun facts, this chapter was originally supposed to go _a lot _differently, but it definitely made much more sense this way. For one, Hiro still died, but the circumstance was a bit harder to do and started turning into some wannabe Grey's Anatomy bullcrap or something. It was ridiculous. Also for some reason, I had to work the hell out of this to keep Huey from getting OOC. It's never been a problem for me before...:sniffle: AND, because I feel like rubbing it in, I've already written the ending. So nah nah nah nah nahhhh nahhhhhhhhh (just kidding. About the nah nah nahhhh part, I mean. The ending really is done)_

_Um...yeaaaahhhh...please review. And vote on my poll. Seriously don't make me _hurt _you..._

_O_o_

_-Kelsey_


	25. Chapter Twenty Four

_:Eats a veggie burger: So like :chomp: What's up? Yeah, I finished this last night but it was my best friend's birthday and I was like oh well, you guys can wait a little longer. Heh. I would have not done it at all and studied instead, but in either an extremely ballsy or an extremely stupid move, _I dropped Anatomy and Physiology. _Gasp! Why would I do such a thing if I'm going into the medical field?! Well...in yet _another _either stupid or awesome move, I changed my major to Art History and my minor to English. I might double major in Art History and English so I can minor in creative writing, I don't know. Anyways, everything's a mess right now as I try to get into another science class (which is way less demanding and actually fun for me) and a drawing class, even though the last day to add or change classes was the 19th (I'm going to give the enrollment office hell monday) AND I've got to contact the college I applied to tranfer to and tell them I want to change my major/minor. Jeebus._

_Anyways, thanks to sweetiepye2 (YOU'RE BACK! OMFG!!), AyisienneCat17, KrisD.723, and MizzC for the reviews! I realize i'm updating fast and people have actual _lives_, so it wouldn't surprise me if people aren't reviewing trying to catch up (COUGH COUGH TRIGGER MIKE THE GREAT COUGH). Tis' all good :P_

_Disclaimer: The Boondocks isn't mine._

* * *

Old Soul

Chapter Twenty-Four

_"Life will break you. Nobody can protect you from that, and living alone won't either, for solitude will also break you with its yearning. You have to love. You have to feel. It is the reason you are here on earth. You are here to risk your heart. You are here to be swallowed up. And when it happens that you are broken, or betrayed, or left, or hurt, or death brushes near, let yourself sit by an apple tree and listen to the apples falling all around you in heaps, wasting their sweetness. Tell yourself that you tasted as many as you could." _

_-Louise Erdrich_

* * *

_December 30, 2022  
Cairo_

In all honesty, it had been Riley's doing. All of it.

It was funny how we'd always thought of him as the wannabe gangsta that only stayed with us because he had nowhere else to go, especially now. It was even funnier how I thought he could care less about his older brother's love interest, especially when he was going through all of _this _to get her back.

"Aye! _Aye_!" He was yelling over the noise of the crowded room. Everyone quieted, staring at him. "Dat's what I'm talking bout. Yea, ya'll betta listen ta Reezy up in hurr!" He struck a pose. "Made me think Riley Escobar was gonna have ta shoot a nigga…"

Alright. So he wasn't _the _best leader…still though, Maya and I sat at the front of the room, exchanging equally surprised looks. Who knew Riley had the makings of his elder brother? Who knew that he would even find a cause to voluntarily put himself to work for? The moment Jazmine, along with the others, had left the apartment Riley was on the phone, calling up resistance members I'd never even heard of. Within five minutes he had gotten in touch with Lena and Katrina back in Chicago, telling them what was going on and how he needed their help. He even sat quietly and patiently as Katrina cried into the phone prior to learning about Hiro's death!

The only time he ever even _acted _patient was if he was going to get paid for it!

Within twenty minutes, he'd organized a meeting in the basement of a fellow resistance member who didn't live too far from us. And within an hour, we were all here, in a decent sized basement in some member's townhouse.

Where had Riley Freeman gone and who was this guy?!

"Did you call the others and tell them where we are?" Maya whispered, leaning over so her lips were at my ear. I shrugged.

"Nope."

"Now, we've gots us a situation." Riley looked from his spot at the front of the decent sized room to me. "Well, Cairo?" I jumped. "Ain't you gon tell them bout our situation?"

"_Me_?" I choked, but Maya was already shoving me out of my seat. I walked to the front of the room, shooting her as well as the younger Freeman a glare as I stood beside him. I clasped my hands behind my back.

"There's a problem right now. A big problem." I cleared my throat, aware of how everyone seemed to lean forward in their seats, how their expressions changed to worry, curiosity, and concern. "Jazmine DuBois has been found. And right now she's being taken prisoner by the government."

Everyone let out gasps, a ripple of conversation breaking out across the room. "Aye! Shut it up!" Riley yelled. Maya shook her head at him before giving me an encouraging smile. She then made a face, reaching into her pocket and flipping open her cell phone, holding it to her ear. I swallowed, feeling my heart pound in my chest.

"We don't know where she's being taken," I said, clearing my throat again. "But it's already being looked into by one of our friends who watches air traffic-"

"THE FBI BUILDING IN DC!" Maya declared loudly, the way she always did when she got excited over something. She held up her phone. Everyone's heads whipped towards her and she blushed. "Sorry."

"O-kay…the FBI button...in DC." I rose up on the balls of my feet before dropping back on my heels again. "So-"

"What can we do to help?!" One woman shouted from near the back of the room, rising to her feet. Before I could respond another member, this one a man, jumped to his feet as well.

"Nuh uh! Uh _uh_!" He shook his head, doing a cut throat motion across his neck. "Ain't no way I'm gon put myself in danger to save sum woman I don't even know forreal!"

"Man, _fuck you_, old man! Yo ol gatdamn-" Riley started, but I gave him a look.

"Riley!"

"The government's gonna be lookin fo traitors!" Another woman pointed out, shaking her head. "All that's gonna happen is we're gonna get killed for trying to save _her_!"

"I already work undercover in the federal government!" Another man shouted. "I can't just get involved in something this risky! They'll kill me! Literally!"

The crowd seemed to be dividing on the issue; some people looked enthusiastic with the prospect of helping while most looked unsure. A few people looked dead set on having no part in it.

Which was fine. But damn, did niggas have to argue over _everything_?

"Hey!" Maya yelled as the room grew louder and louder. She jumped to her feet. "What's wrong with you all?!" The room fell silent again. She marched up beside me, glaring at the crowded room. "You mean to tell me you're involved in the most dangerous organization that is dedicated to the betterment of our society and you can't even get involved in a mission that has the possibility to save us all because you're _scurred_? Get real, babies!"

A small murmur started but was quickly stopped by the withering glare she gave them all.

"Now. Jazmine gave herself up for our sorry, coward asses, and all you want to do is go hide under a rock until it's over?" Maya's fists were clenched. "This room is made up of pilots, federal agents, businessmen, and smart, capable people who have everything to offer to this. You think you're going to get caught? So _what_? Most of you are already two timing the people you work around in the first place, living a secret life that has every chance of being discovered at any given moment. And _now _you want to punk out. _Now _you wanna stop and think about it." She sucked her teeth in such a Huey way I had to glance around really quick to make sure he hadn't come in the room. "What_ever_. Carry that shit somewhere else."

"Well…thank you for that…" I said as she stalked back to her chair, flinging herself down and crossing her arms over her chest, fumming. The room fell silent again, until one woman stood up.

"I'm Grace Chambers," She said, looking around as well. "And I'm married. I have three children, and I work in Foreign Affairs. It's given me the ability to travel the world without the restrictions that a typical American has. I've seen how other countries live. How religion, orientation, and political views has _nothing _to do with how a person is treated." She shook her head. "They say our country is the most powerful in the world, yet we constantly oppress and ostracize those around us. They try and tell us that religious cleansing is for the best yet innocent people are dying, each and every day. They say terrorism is alive and well, waiting for us to make a mistake. Well, terrorism _is _alive. It's our own government."

A few people began murmuring in agreement and her voice grew louder. "My children can't even go outside anymore just because of how dangerous it is! My husband was almost killed because of some attack that was made on his job due to his boss being Arab. This has got to _stop_." She looked at me, her icy blue eyes swimming with emotions. "And if saving this woman, this daughter of one of the resistance's greatest leaders, is what it takes to help us get closer towards a better future, then I'll do it."

She sat down as the room burst into applause and another woman stood up, a redhead. I thought of Jazmine and felt a slight pang in my chest.

"My name is Maggie and I had to drop out of college and move across the country after it was discovered I'm Wiccan," She said, her brown eyes glancing around nervously. "My family is _gone_. My own father is a part of the fundamentalists and was willing to try and kill me just because he said I was evil." She shook her head. "I got a job working on planes from my best friend, who is a Christian. If he can accept me regardless of what I believe, I don't know why other people find it so hard to do." She lifted her chin. "Whatever you need for me to do, I'll do it."

"My name's Earl, and I escaped the military after we were forced to bomb a school. A _school_," A middle aged black man said, rising to his feet as well. "It was a Catholic school. Supposedly they're respected among the government, but our commanders had the nerve to say "So we can keep the fear of terrorism alive." They blamed it on outside countries, but it was _us_. I've never forgiven myself."

"I'm in!" Another man cried out, rising to his feet.

"Me too!" Two guys stood up, exchanging looks and high fives.

"Oppressive white fundie man can eat a dick!" Another man shouted, standing up and making a gun sign. "BLAT BLAT BLAT!"

"YEAUUUUUHHH!" Riley shouted, making a sign of his own

"Um…okay." I gave him a weird look before turning my attention to everyone else, who were jumping on their feet and screaming their support. I looked to Maya who was looking around as well, as grin spreading on her face. I sighed, relieved.

"Anyone who wants to leave can do so. There's no pressure for you to stay," I called over the noise, but no one moved for the door. I felt a slight glow rise up in my chest "For the rest of you, stay seated and we can get started."

"Let's do this for 9/11!" A woman shouted, pumping her fist in the air.

"For 7/4!" A man cried out.

"For Mr. Whiskers!" A young girl yelled. Some people burst out laughing, others just looked at her. "What? He dead too!"

I rolled my eyes. This might not be easy as I thought.

* * *

_Huey_

I didn't know if I could handle this.

The three of us watched the unfolding scene in front of us, our breath caught in our throats. I was crouched down behind the side of the building, my head poking over a few feet away from the ground. Cindy was leaning on my shoulders, looking over as well. We both had a pair of binoculars that Maya had dug out of Hiro's possessions only an hour ago. Caesar was ducked behind the building completely, his hand over his ear as he listened to whatever the chip had to offer.

"What are they saying?" I hissed, my eyes already narrowed as the dark figures, people who had probably surrounded the place to make sure she wouldn't try to back out at the last second, all descended around the memorial site, closing in like vultures. Caesar shook his head.

"Nothing. There's a man, he's saying something, but he's so quiet I can barely hear him."

I groaned. Cindy looked down at me, shaking her head.

"Try to relax." She gave me a grimace, which was probably supposed to be a smile. "It's going to work out."

"How the hell do you know, when we don't even-"

"Wait! She said something!" Both of our heads jerked towards Caesar. He was grinning. "Wow. Girl's got nerve." He glanced at me. "I think she's finally taken on your fluent language of sarcasm."

I ignored his attempt at humor and looked down the street again, holding the binoculars to my eyes. I could see Jazmine standing in the center of the wide circling the antis were making, her hands in her pockets. There was a familiar figure standing a few yards in front of her…my eyes widened.

"It's Addison." I looked back to Caesar. "He's the one talking."

"Yeah, I hear him now." Caesar's eyebrows were knitted together. "And he doesn't sound as happy about Jazmine's smart comment as I did."

I whipped back around, just in time to see one of the shadowed figures coming up behind her, a long, thick cylinder pole in his hands. I sat up straighter as he raised it so that he was holding it as a baseball bat-

-And he swung it so that it crashed into her head.

"No!" Cindy screamed, quickly covering her mouth with her hands. I jumped up so fast that she fell off my back. Caesar swore and grabbed my arm, yanking me back as I took a step forward.

"We _can't _interfere!" He said in a severe voice. I clamped my mouth shut, glaring. How backwards this was. Usually _I _was the one getting on people for letting their emotions get the best of them and now I could barely take my own advice. My eyes hardened and it took all I had not to jump up and bust a cap in every last one of them.

Jazmine instantly fell to the ground, her back hitting the dirt. Addison smiled, slowly stepping over her and reaching into her pocket, pulling out the ampscine. It was dull, even in the moonlight. He lightly tossed it in the air and caught it again, shrugging and walking away from her before snapping his fingers. A man came forward, reaching down and picking up her unconscious body.

"Alright." Caesar had recovered the fastest, probably due to being the most aware of what was going on out of the three of us. "Addison said let's go. Apparently they're splitting." He stopped, listening more. I saw Addison turn his head, saying words that I couldn't begin to understand since he was too far away to clearly read his lips. "There's a helicopter coming. He and a few of those people are getting on it with him. The rest are driving."

"And what about Jazmine?" Cindy asked. "Which one is she going with?"

Caesar listened. "They're deciding…" His face fell. "They're taking her on the helicopter too. They'll be less chance of her getting followed."

"Damn it!" I snapped, still watching them. All the people had gotten into a circle and dropped to their knees, their heads bowed and their hands clasped. Addison stood in the center of them, his head raised towards the sky. "What the hell are they doing now?"

Caesar seemed to be listening to something. He made a face. "It sounds like they're…praying? He said five walls…five points…five days?"

I rolled my eyes. In the distance there was the sound of helicopter wings, cutting through the air. "Yeah. That makes a lot of sense." I looked up as the noise got louder…and louder…and louder still…

"Holy shit!" Cindy yelled as a big, white helicopter appeared, flying over the buildings around us so closely it seemed as if it were right over our heads. Cindy gripped the side of the building as the wind crashed into us. I stood to my feet, watching it as it slowly descended near the group, who had stopped their praying and were obviously putting their plans into action. I saw the man who had Jazmine pick her up again, carrying her to the helicopter, whose wings were still going. Caesar was covering his ears and looking towards it as well.

"We're going to lose contact with her!" He shouted over the noise. "That helicopter's going to be out of New York in minutes, and it won't be long before it passes the one hundred mile radius! We've gotta find out where she's going, and fast!"

"How?" I shouted back, trying to ignore my building frustration. The helicopter side slid open and the man disappeared inside, Jazmine still in his arms. A couple other people got on and Addison followed, glancing over his shoulder before the door slid shut. The rest of the people were leaving, disappearing into cars and other motor vehicles. "The only way we can find out is if someone says something near Jazmine before they got out of radius, or if whoever is going to follow them first picks it up."

The helicopter wings picked up speed until they were a blur against the dark sky, then it slowly hovered over the ground. Then, it was off, ascending through the air and picking up even more speed until it was flying over the Hudson River, over the skyline…and it was gone.

"Alright, they're leaving," Caesar said, bringing me back to reality. I backed up, dragging Cindy behind me as an assembly of cars shot past, speeding around the corner. At the speed they were going they probably hadn't even noticed us. "And our man should be…there."

As if out of thin air, a silver convertible shot past, spinning around the corner as well. I blinked. "He was ours?"

Caesar nodded, smirking. "Dwight. Cool guy."

"Let's go," I said, leading the way as we took off down the street, racing back home. It was amazing how all this could happen only a street over from a crowd and no one else outside noticed. Just a few blocks down it was congested; people were dancing down the sidewalks, driving around blasting music, and going on with their lives as if nothing was happening.

Well. That was New York for you.

My stupid cast made my leg feel like a cinder block, which was why when we passed a twenty-four hour hardware store I stopped, glancing inside. When Caesar and Cindy realized I wasn't running with them they stopped as well, looking back at me.

"What are you doing?" Cindy asked as I opened the door and went inside, heading past the counter where an older white man was sitting, reading a newspaper. He looked at us then, deciding we weren't worth his time, went back to his paper. I quickly scanned the aisles, looking for just the right thing to-

Ah. There it was.

"Huey!" Cindy hissed loudly as I took a saw off the wall, examining it. "What the hell are you doing?"

"How am I going to be able to do anything with a big as hell piece of plaster on my leg?" I pointed out, heading back up to the counter. I held up the saw, getting the man's attention. "How much is this?"

He looked at the three of us and then glanced behind him to a medium sized clock on the wall. He shrugged.

"How much do you _want _to pay?"

I raised my eyebrow. "Nothing?"

He snorted and went back to his paper. "Fine by me. Less work I gotta do."

"Okay, this is crazy!" Cindy said as we walked out the shop and I sat on the curb, stretching my leg so that the white cast clunked against the street in front of us. Caesar crouched down on my other side as I made a face, resting the blade against the solid material. "You could cut your leg off!"

"I could," I agreed, beginning to saw into it. Caesar and Cindy both winced. "But I won't."

I carefully moved the saw back and forth over the top half of the cast, making sure I didn't put too much pressure where I'd end up cutting my own leg while putting enough where the job was getting done. After about five minutes, five minutes that seemed to take forever, the cast cracked down the middle, the part by my foot still intact. I dropped the saw, taking both parts in my hand and pulled as hard as I could. The stuff was _strong_. I groaned, yanking on both side with so much force both sides ripped apart with a loud tear.

I sighed. Flexing my foot I threw the busted thing on the ground, feeling as if my leg had just lost twenty pounds.

"Can you stand on it?" Cindy asked as I rose to my feet, putting pressure on it. I nodded. It felt as good as new. And even if it didn't, oh well. It would have to do.

"It's fine."

"Don't you think you should've done that at home? You know, where you wouldn't have to run home with one shoe on and one off?" Caesar pointed out. I looked at him.

"Then give me yours."

"No!" He rolled his eyes as we took off down the street again, me making sure I didn't step in any glass or other unwanted substances that could be in the street. "How are we going to pull this off, man?"

"I don't know." I looked at him. "But we're going to."

* * *

_Jazmine_

It felt as if I were floating. My head throbbed and I could feel a cold breeze on me. I let out a soft moan, trying to open my eyes. I couldn't. It hurt too much.

"Well. You're awake." I heard a familiar voice mutter. I could barely hear him with the sound of a heavy wind around me. Where _was _I? "Unfortunately, we can't have that. Yet."

I felt someone rolling up my left sleeve, followed by a tiny prick. Then, I was falling all over again, the light at the end of the tunnel becoming harder and harder to reach.

* * *

_Maya_

"Where the _hell _are you guys?" Caesar's voice screamed at me through the phone. I held it away, wincing.

"We're in Central Park. We've got…reinforcements," I said. There was a pause.

"What?"

"Well…let's see." I looked around, doing a quick headcount. "I'm here with Riley and about fifteen other resistance members. They're car pooling. Cairo's with about a dozen more, getting weapons. And one of our friends is stealing a helicopter as we speak. Cairo and the guy are going to fly it but they say they want one more person." I paused. "Well, when he teaches us not to kill ourselves."

There was a pause on Caesar's end, one of obvious shock. "How did you _do _all that?"

"I didn't. Riley did."

The silence this time was so long that I cleared my throat, causing Caesar to come back to reality. Not that I blamed him. The fact that Riley had pulled something like this off was hard to believe and I'd _been _there. "Is there a plan?" He finally asked. I sighed.

"We're…kinda making it up as we go along," I confessed. "We're almost one hundred percent sure that they're taking Jazmine to the J. Edgar Hoover Building in Washington, DC. This guy Kirby's job is to control air traffic and they came up on his radar. So naturally when he radioed them they had to tell him where they were going. They just didn't notice he was our guy." I paused, looking around and shivering. "So we're heading there, in groups. The first group's about to leave, the second group's going to leave twenty minutes afterwards, and a third one's going to go after them. Cairo's flying. The only problem is no one could get a layout of the place, so we have no idea where she'd be once we got there. We're still trying to find one though. Even people back in Chicago are involved."

Caesar was silent. I bit my lip. "So what are the three of you going to do? We've got space but if you had another plan-"

"We're going to go as soon as we can," He said. "We were just trying to find out where they're going and you told us, so we have nothing to stop-" He paused. "What?"

"Huh-" I started, but when he kept talking I realized he was talking to someone on the other end. "Yeah, she said they're going to the FBI building." He stopped again. "Yeah, the main one down in-" He paused. "What do you mean that doesn't seem right?"

I tapped my foot, glancing around and hoping that no nosy ass cops would come over here and interrogate us, which was very likely considering it was seventeen of us hanging out in the same spot. Finally Caesar addressed me again.

"Huey says he doesn't think they're going to the FBI."

I raised my eyebrow. "But Kirby said-"

"He _knows_what Kirby said," Caesar said impatiently. "But Huey says they might have known they were being set up. They're powerful people and he doubts any loyalist in their right mind would ask them where they were going. Also…Huey, slow down! Talkin all fast and shit…" Caesar paused again. "He says they wouldn't have been so specific. They would've said Washington, DC, but not straight up "We're flying to the Federal Bureau of Investigation at 12:10 just because.""

I bit my lip. He did have a point.

"Then where does he think they're going?"

"Aye Huey! Where you think they going?" I heard Caesar shout. I heard more talking in the background before he spoke again. "He says he doesn't know, but that definitely isn't going to be where they go."

"Maybe they said it so we _could _go, and then they'd be ready to fight us when we got there!" I tried. Caesar sighed.

"Huey! Maya said maybe they did it on purpose to trap us! Wait a minute…ow!" I heard the phone being snatched away.

"Bull. Shit." Huey said suddenly in my ear. "They don't want to be followed. Otherwise they wouldn't have given a damn who came with Jazmine when she turned herself in."

"Okay." I watched as a few people began getting into cars. Riley was further down, talking to one of the men, flapping his arms. I shook my head. "So what, do you think we shouldn't go?"

"I didn't say that." Huey paused. "I think they should still go there, since it's the only lead we've got. But I think a small group of people should go somewhere else."

I glanced at the phone. "Such as…?"

The phone was silent for a moment. "The Department of Defense."

I raised an eyebrow, putting the phone back up to my ear. When I didn't say anything Huey sighed.

"The Pentagon."

Well why didn't he just _say _that? "Why would they go there?"

"Because it would look a lot less obvious than to land a helicopter in the middle of a Pennsylvania Avenue, for one," Huey said with impatience. "The Pentagon is in Virginia, probably five, ten minutes from the FBI building. It would make more sense if they went there being that it is headquarters for the country's defense system, and if they were to do something concerning to that it would be the place to go. Not to mention they have an entire network of underground chambers, most of where they keep top secret things of interest. If they took Jazmine there it might take us forever to find her. Not only would they have to land somewhere and walk to the FBI building, but they'd also have to sneak in themselves. The good part about the FBI is that they tend not to take sides with either us or antis. They basically just do their job. Addison, he probably has power over a good majority of Pentagon employees so him going there this late wouldn't be frowned on." He stopped. "Of course, this is all a theory."

"Of course." The thing about Huey's theories were that they usually turned out to be right. "So, what are the three of you going to do?"

"We're going to the Pentagon." Huey sighed. "It's a slim chance, but I really think that's where they're going."

"What makes you so sure?" I asked warily. There was another pause.

"Five walls, five points, five days."

My eyebrows lifted. "Say what?"

"It's something that Caesar picked up before they left," He replied, his voice sounding as if he was deep in thought. "Five walls, five points. The Pentagon has that, five sides and five angles. As for the five days…either that's when they have something planned, or when…" He didn't finish. He didn't have to. I already knew. It could be how long Jazmine had to live.

"I thought you gave Jazmine a chip? Shouldn't you be able to hear what they're planning?"

"There's too much interference," He explained, sounding annoyed. "And Jazmine's unconscious, so she's not exactly helping any right now."

"What happened-" I started to ask, but he cut me off.

"Maya." I listened, tucking my free hand in my pocket. "You said Cairo and the other guy needed one more person to fly?"

"Yeah…" What did _that _have to do with anything?

He paused. "I think you should go."

I blinked, then laughed. "Oh no. Hell no."

"Maya."

"I don't _like_ heights. I don't like flying. I don't even like tall beds!" I practically yelled.

"Maya, it's okay." Huey sounded surprisingly empathetic. "Look, Cairo needs someone strong to back him up."

"He'd better call on Jesus!"

"Not funny." Huey sighed. "Riley does better on the ground and is probably the fastest driver I know. He can't go up there. And Cairo shouldn't be up there with someone he doesn't know. He should be up there with you."

"But-"

"Besides." I could practically see him smirking into the phone. "He _does _seem to be at his best when you're around."

I could strangle Huey for feeding my words back to me, but at the same time I felt a light flush spread over my face.

"And you _do _seem quite happy around him-"

"Shut up." I couldn't help but smirk myself. "Fine. But if I die, I'm going to haunt you. Forever."

"None of us are going to die."Huey sighed again. "I don't want you two to go to the FBI with the others. I want you to fly to the Pentagon so that we can get out of there when we get Jazmine back." He paused. "But not until tomorrow night."

"_What_?" The word was out of my mouth before I could even stop myself. "_Tomorrow _night?" My eyes widened.

"Yes." Huey's voice was hard. "I don't care what you do until then. Just get there tomorrow night."

"Alright." I swallowed, glancing to the last of the members driving off. I didn't know exactly what the point of waiting an entire day to get there would be, but I wasn't going to question him. "Be careful."

He paused. "You, too."

Then, the line disconnected. I stared at the phone for a moment before slamming it shut, glancing around. Riley was hurrying towards me, pointing to a car.

"Aye!" He narrowed his eyebrows. "Ho! I been callin yo ass fo like, five minutes! We goin! You comin?"

I looked, seeing Cairo standing by himself a few yards away, waiting for his own ride to take him to the airport. I bit my lip, wincing.

Oh, well. Since everyone else were facing their fears today…

"No." I walked over to Cairo and planted my feet beside him, looking back at Riley. "We're flying."

Cairo looked down at me, surprised. Riley snorted.

"Whateva niggas." He ran to the last car that was beside the curb, throwing himself in through the open passenger seat window. "Peace!"

I rolled my eyes as they drove away before looking back up to Cairo. "So." I shrugged. "I guess we wait."

"Yup." Cairo looked away, whistling. "We wait."

* * *

_Cindy_

"See anyone?"

"Nope."

I stood on the edge of the sidewalk along with Caesar, standing on my tiptoes and peeking up and down the street. Caesar whistled some fast tune, his hands behind his back. In front of us Huey was inside some sports car, attempting to hotwire it since neither one of us knew how the hell to pull it off. I leaned over, peeking through the heavily tinted passenger window.

"When did you even learn how to do that?" I whispered. Huey, whose eyes were narrowed in concentration at the wires that hung down from underneath the steering wheel, glanced up.

"Back in Chicago." He went back to focusing on the task at hand. "I was probably seven."

"What the hell did you need to hotwire a car at seven for?" Caesar asked, giving Huey a look. He got one back in response.

"I wasn't always the precious angel I am now." His voice was full of sarcasm. He sat back as the engine suddenly roared to life, looking pleased. "Got it."

Caesar and I exchanged looks.

"You know," He pointed out as Huey walked up to join us on the sidewalk, his hands in his jacket pockets. "With all those people involved now…we probably could've just asked to borrow a car from one of them."

Huey sighed. "You would tell me _after_ I go through this."

"Well, you're the one with the IQ of 175!" Caesar shot back, throwing up his hands. "I thought that sort of thing would've been common sense-"

"Just hush and let's go!" I snapped before Huey could reply. "We don't have time for this! Every moment we spend standing here is another where-"

"Okay, okay." Huey closed his eyes, holding up a hand. "Fine." He opened his eyes again and the three of us stared at the car, which was sitting there as if waiting for us. "Who wants to drive?"

"Automatic?" I asked. Huey shook his head.

"Stick."

Caesar and I looked at each other and frowned.

"Nope. I'm out!" He said. I nodded.

"Me, too."

Huey gave us both an exasperated look and sighed heavily. "Don't you two know how to do _anything_?"

"Yeah, bitch. I know how to tune out your insults," I pointed out, glaring at him. Huey shook his head.

"Fine. _Sorry_." He strode towards the driver's door. "Let's go."

"Shotgun!" Caesar yelled, throwing the front passenger door open. I rolled my eyes.

"With Huey's maniac driving?" I shook my head. "You can _have _it."

I climbed into the back seat, settling behind Caesar's seat. The interior was all black, the dashboard having silver lining. The lights were an electric blue that was so deep it hurt my eyes to look at it. The windows were so dark I could hardly see anything outside, so instead I glanced at Huey, who was already shifting into drive.

"Please don't kill us before we can get there," I advised him. He looked bored.

"You wanna drive?"

"Please. She can't drive a stick any better than I can. And you _know _I can't."

"Caesar!"

Huey shook his head, stomping on the gas. I screamed as we shot away from the curb, speeding down the street. I looked at Huey with wide, horrified eyes, but he was too busy shifting gears and looking out for cops to notice. "Huey!" I screamed, glancing at the speedometer. "You're going eighty three!"

"What?" He mistook my horror for something else. "I can't go faster until we get on the interstate!"

"That's not my point! _Slow down_!"

Huey groaned, stomping on the brakes. Caesar and I slammed forward; luckily, my seat belt held me back so that I didn't fly into his seat. Huey spun around in his seat, glaring at me.

"If you want to drive you can!" He snapped, his eyes narrowed at me with anger. "Because I don't have time to listen to your whining about my goddamn speeding! We don't have time to obey the speed limit-"

"Aye!" Caesar cut in sharply. "We're not going to be able to save Jazmine if we're _dead_." He sighed, rubbing his forehead. "At least wait until we get to the interstate to start driving like a bat out of hell. And move out the damn way. You're holding up traffic."

Sure enough, there were persistent honks coming from behind us. Huey groaned again, facing the front and starting off again. Since he was now driving like a normal person I slumped into my seat, looking out the window. I could hear Huey and Caesar talking in the front seat but I was too busy trying not to get mad at Huey's attitude to join in.

_'He's just worried,' _I reminded myself in my head. _'He's just worried and he is unintentionally taking it out on other people. It's nothing personal.'_

"Do you think they're there yet?" I heard Caesar ask. "It's 1:32."

"Probably," Huey mumbled, his eyes never leaving the road. "And what makes it worse is we're not going to be able to just waltz in there when we get to DC. We're going to have to wait until tonight."

"Huh? Why?"

"Because during the day the Pentagon is one of the most top secure buildings on the east coast, maybe in the nation," Huey pointed out. "And at night, the Pentagon is still one of the most top secure buildings on the east coast, only with less personnel to watch the place. Only problem with that is that's more time Jazmine's gotta be in there."

"What do you think they're going to do to her?" I heard myself ask softly. Caesar winced. Huey made a face. Obviously that was the wrong question to ask.

"I don't really want to think about it," Huey said quietly. Caesar nodded in agreement. I swallowed.

Well, when he put it that way…obeying the speed limit when our best friend's life hang in the balance was just dumb as hell.

"Hey, Huey?" I whispered. He glanced in the rear view mirror.

"Hmm?"

"Drive. As fast as you need to. I don't give a fuck if you go 150." I covered my eyes with my hand. "Just drive."

Huey looked back to the road, the corners of his lips turning upwards. He shrugged. "Whatever you say."

The car sped forward with a small lurch and I lay down in the backseat, closing my eyes.

_'Hold on,' _I thought, willing Jazmine to somehow hear me. _'We're coming.'_

* * *

_Jazmine_

My back was stiff.

It was the first thing I noticed as I felt my senses returning, in tiny, subtle bursts. First it was the sound of emptiness around me. Then, I could feel the empty space pressing down on me, as if it were trying to smother me. After that, I could smell mildew, wet and thick, in this space somewhere around me. Finally, I opened my eyes, my blinking rapid as I tried to adjust to consciousness.

As soon as I did that, a searing pain erupted in the base of my skull I grimaced, sitting up straighter.

That's when I realized: I was sitting up.

I glanced around what seemed to be a dark, windowless cell. The walls were made of a dark gray stone, the floors a dusty type of concrete. The only thing that stuck out was the door, which was gray steel, way on the other side of the room. The small window that was in it was my only source of light. The ceiling was high; so tall, in fact, that due to the darkness of the cell I couldn't even see where the ceiling was. I heard a soft dripping coming from somewhere in the cell and looked around in an attempt to find the source. I stared to raise my hand, but then realized I couldn't. I glanced behind me to see my wrists bound my chains to the chair I was sitting in. When I bothered to look at the legs of the chair I saw that they were bolted down.

Shit.

My jacket was gone, which would explain why I was so much colder than I should've been. I pressed my eyelids shut, trying to swallow the fear that was rising up inside me. _No_. I couldn't be afraid. Fear was for the weak, and I wasn't weak.

I wasn't weak…

I jumped as I heard a key being put into the lock, followed by the doorknob turning. I lifted my chin to face whoever it was as the door swung open, and three men stepped inside. I set my jaw, easily meeting their gazes. The first man to come in, a balding white guy with a bad mustache, nodded towards me.

"Good evening, Ms. Alston." He checked his watch and chuckled, even though there was nothing funny about the situation. "Or should I say, good morning. It's after five. You sure were tired."

I didn't say a word; instead, I glared at him. He shrugged, looking towards the other two. One of them, a man in a business suit, came to stand beside him.

"Now." His voice, unlike the other guy's, held no trace of humor. Which was either a good or a bad thing. "You're going to be a good little girl and tell us what we need to know. Then, this entire process will be quick and, virtually, painless." He crouched down in front of me, staring up at my face with cold, dark eyes. "Is that understood?"

I stared back, blinking. My eyes narrowed. After a long lapse of silence he stood up, turning away.

"I was afraid it would get to this point," He sighed.

Then, so fast it was a blur, he spun around and struck me across the face so hard I would've probably fallen out of my chair had it not been attached to the floor. I heard a gasp from the man who was still by the door, or maybe I imagined it. I felt my eyes watering from the stinging pain that my cheek now held but stared back up at him regardless. He leaned over me with both arms on either side of the chair, his face inches from my own.

"_Is that understood_?" He practically screamed. I stared back up at him, raising my eyebrows. He screamed, gripping my shoulders and shaking me roughly.

"You _stupid_ girl!" He roared. The other two stared at us silently. "You _will _respect me! I hold your life in my very hands! How _dare _you choose to stick your nose in the air and ignore me like you have power over me?!"

He let go of me long enough for me to shake my head, even though I was shaking a bit. This guy had serious anger issues, and they were scary. He took a deep breath, raising his hand again and letting out a growl of rage, only this time the man closest to the door rushed up and held him back.

"Danny you haven't even interrogated her yet!" He snapped, his blond hair falling into his eyes. Out of the three of them he was probably the youngest. "She's going to be too weak to give you what you want if you keep hitting her!"

The guy stared at him, glaring. "Release me, boy." The guy let go of his shoulders and he shook them out. "I don't care if Addison is your father. I don't answer to kids." He gave me another look before rushing forward, grabbing me by my neck. I gasped, clenching my teeth together and squeezing my eyes shut as I fought to breathe.

"When I come back, you _will _tell me what I want to know," He said, his fingers tightening. I gagged. "Or there will be consequences." In one fluid motion he ripped his hand away and stormed out the door, the other guy on his heels. The younger one, the one who was apparently Addison's son, gave me a look before leaving himself, closing the door behind him and locking it. When I heard the last of their footsteps fade away I let myself dissolve into a puddle of tears.

The sad part was that unless a miracle occurred, this was only going to get worse.

* * *

_Poor Jazzy. :sniff: I'm such a _jerk_._

_Hope ya enjoyed it. I definitely lied. There isn't two more chapters to go, there's still three (well, two if you don't count an epilogue, which there will be. How can a story have a prologue and no epilogue?!) Any less than three and i'd be rushing it big time._

_!!!! :)_

_-Kelsey_


	26. Chapter Twenty Five

_Thanks to KrisD.723, sweetiepye2, and InstantLUNCH for the reviews. I know, short as hell author's note, right?_

_I'm not sure how I feel about this chapter yet. But like usual, It's pretty necessary, so yeah..._

_Disclaimer: I don't own the Boondocks. Damn!_

* * *

Old Soul

Chapter Twenty-Five

_"The human condition is fragile. Some say we were made to be broken. Surely you don'__t hear anyone say we were made to fly. Only somehow, people tend to believe that. We as humans constantly set ourselves up to be lifted off our feet with so much force it takes our breath away, leaving us gasping in its wake. We lift our heads to the sun, to the stars, to whatever is up there watching us with curious eyes, and we hope. We hope that we can recover. We hope that we can fly again."_

_-Jazmine DuBois_

_

* * *

_

_Huey_

When it comes down to it there's only you. There's you, and nothing else.

As humans, it's hardwired in us to take everything for granted. Our homes, our necessities, our friendships. We drink in the pain of those around us and don't think for a second that the safety of our lives can come tumbling down. We live in our enclosed shelters, ignorant of the suffering around us and how easily it could be our reality.

And then, we go to funerals, the dark colors of mourners stark against the gray sky. Then, your life is in danger. Then, everything we know is tested and we're forced to weigh the stakes on transparent scales. As humans, we're obsessed with figuring out how much we can gain in exchange for what we give up. We bargain, we manage, and we contemplate. And we realize just how much we have to lose.

You remember what seemed so insignificant at the time it occurred, such as a casual brush of shoulders or a joke. Then, you see her chasing butterflies in a field, her smile brighter than the sun itself. The memories can be endless; flooding together like a tapestry. A head on a shoulder as you both watch a thunderstorm. Innocent glances and longing stares.

As humans, our lives are full of choices. Decisions that have to be made. Promises that need to be kept. It's all more fragile than we like to believe. Wrong choices can lead to chaos. Bad decisions can lead to dangerous roads. Broken promises can lead to lives being lost.

I'd chosen wrong when I pushed her away and I'd taken her for granted. All I had left was a promise. It was my last chance, my _only _chance to make this right again.

I couldn't lose her.

* * *

_Cairo_

"What the hell are we supposed to do until tonight?"

Maya was pacing in front of me. Her circles were becoming so tight and narrow that she was making _me _dizzy. "Calm down," I said, earning myself a scornful glance in return. It had been stupid of me to even think that telling a woman to calm down would ever be okay.

"By tonight she could be _dead_!" She finally yelled, stating what we'd both been thinking ever since we'd be directed not to come until later. She looked at me, her eyes filled with tears. "How can he expect us to sit back and do nothing?"

"Look," I said, climbing up from the floor and walking over to her, grabbing her shoulders and giving her a light shake. "We're all worried. But we can't think like that." She sniffed. "We just have to wait until we get further direction. And then we have to do what it takes to get her back. It'll work out." I let her go, stepping back. "Forreal."

She nodded, looking away.

We were in Casey Hill's apartment, which was where he said we could crash until later on when we went to DC. Casey, a former soldier in the Army who had held his pilot's license for over thirty years, had been adamant about Maya coming with us due to some incident on one of his flights involving a female co-pilot, Hennessey, and a downward spiral from thirty-thousand feet in the air that they'd only survived after he managed to do an emergency landing in a clearing surrounded by trees. He'd gotten over it though and got set on finding a way for our trip to be cleared by air traffic so we wouldn't run into any problems later on, leaving us to do whatever until five PM, which was when he'd teach us about flying.

Which, was kind of scary.

"You should go to sleep," Maya suggested, plopping down on the sofa and crossing her legs, her arms over her chest and her foot shaking. "We've got a long…er…next couple of days ahead of us."

"Me?" I gave her a look. "You're the one who looks ready to pass the fuck out."

"Yeah, because I'm _freaking out_," She shot back, her crossed arms tightening. This wasn't typical Maya Johansen behavior. Usually she was the one who you could count on to keep a brave face, refusing to crack under pressure. I sighed and walked over to the sofa, flopping down beside her. The first rays of sunlight were finally beginning to peek through the windows. A cat shaped clock that hung on the kitchen wall said 5:37 am. "The others are already on the way down there. Even _Riley's _gone. We're the last ones that are going to get there." She looked up at me, her face streaked with tears. "If we screw up then everyone fails."

"We aren't going to-"

"You don't know that!" She practically shrieked, making me flinch. She sniffed, wiping her eyes and covering her face with her hands, her elbows on her knees.

"Hiro would know what to do," She sobbed, her voice muffled. "I miss Hiro."

I rubbed the side of my neck, my eyes softening. With all that was going on we hadn't had time to mourn Hiro's death. It was as if we'd had to let our emotions take a backseat. "We all miss him," I said quietly. She shook her head.

"You remember when Duey…said we didn't treat him like he was one of us?" She asked, lifting her head and staring into my eyes. I froze, not responding. She went on anyway. "He was right. I mean, h-he wasn't right to turn against us, but we took him for granted. Just like we took Hiro for granted." She started sobbing again. "I never got to tell him how much I a-appreciated him-"

"He knew!" I tried, attempting to find something, _anything _to get her to stop crying, but I'd said the wrong thing. She glared at me, her eyes practically burning.

"It doesn't matter if he _knew_!" She wailed, looking away. "We should've _told _him! Face it Cairo, we all take each other for granted!" She wiped at her face again, sniffing loudly. "We all knew, we _knew _that living with death is something we had to do when we agreed to this. That's practically what the r-resistance is about is cheating death! And then, someone finally dies, and it's…" Her words trailed off and she stared forward. I looked at her.

"It's what?" I asked gently. She looked back, her face crumpling.

"It's real."

Then she was crying all over again, surprising me by throwing her arms around my shoulder and burying her head in my neck. "I took you for granted!" She sobbed, making my eyes widen. "I took you for granted and…I'm so, so sorry."

I swallowed, wrapping my arms around her and pulling her closer.

"It's okay," I whispered, resting my chin on the top of her head and letting her cry. I closed my eyes. "It doesn't matter."

And it didn't. Not anymore. The feud with Huey, the resentment I'd felt towards him, didn't make a difference. It was so petty for us to let women come between our friendship. This was all we had. This moment, and this moment only.

It was just too bad it had taken a death to make us realize it.

* * *

_Jazmine_

Once upon a time, I'd hated myself.

Self loathing was something that, at least in my opinion, was only bound to happen one day. When you were an insecure mixed girl that had to put work into discovering herself and shoved her into hard circumstances, it was only a matter of time.

When Huey and Riley had supposedly died, I'd cut my hair. When Caesar, Cindy, and Hiro had all left I'd discovered cigarettes. And when my father died and I was the only person I had, I began to despise Jazmine DuBois.

I hated being alone. I hated how death had come for everyone and left me behind. I hated how inside all I could find was pain and all the world did was keep turning. Days passed, nights came, and life moved on. I never did.

All I wanted to do was get back to the naïve, smiling girl I'd grown up as, only it seemed as with each try I was pushing her further and further away. I went to community college and dropped out halfway into the first semester. I drank too much. I worked too much. I slept around, trying to find someone, _anyone_, to fill the void that constantly ripped inside of me. I'd look into mirrors, see my reflection, so hard and cold from who I once was, that I'd just want to pick it up and smash it to the ground. I did once, but twenty-four stitches in my arm later taught me that there were probably other ways I could take out my emotions.

Only, I never found them.

Life and death are a dangerous game. They walk hand in hand, and many people seem to forget that. I was one of those people, until I sat alone one night, staring at the moon and feeling nothing. Absolutely nothing. From fifteen until then I'd wanted to feel numb and finally I'd gotten my wish. It was even worse, even more unbearable than I could've ever imagined. Life and death…they walked in hand. And for me the lines had blurred so severely I could no longer see the difference between them.

I hated myself. I hated this place. Would I ever be happy again?

It was that question that struck the idea, as if someone had lit a match. I was alone. No one would miss me. I wouldn't even miss _myself_. Could I really handle dying?

A better question had been could I even handle living?

I'd played and toyed around with the idea of death, spiraling further down into darkness until I couldn't even remember what it had been like to be happy. I'd tried taking my own life and had almost succeeded. Nineteen had been an age I vowed I'd never tell anyone about, and I promised myself I'd never get as low as I'd been then.

That was why it was so bad that I was thinking about nineteen so much now.

I wasn't sure how much time had passed since I'd been left in the dark confinements of my cell. It could've been hours, minutes. I couldn't sleep. I really had to pee but I sure as hell wasn't going to go on _myself_.

I thought more about younger me, so alone and miserable. I wondered what the others would think of me if they knew how truly messed up I was.

I 'd thought I wouldn't be able to fall asleep but the next thing I knew I was dozing off…just in time to get a rude awakening.

I let out a sharp, high pitched yell as I felt a waterfall of ice cold water hit me. I jerked up, forgetting about my restraints, and was yanked back so that I hit the back of the chair. I groaned, shaking my soaked hair out of my eyes and glaring up at the man named Danny, who was smirking. He dropped the bucket to the ground where it made a loud clatter and clasped his hands together.

"Good morning!" He said, grinning. I looked away, choosing instead to stare at the door where the same blonde guy was standing, looking as if he'd rather be someplace else. Not that I blamed him. "Sorry. You looked like you were having a good dream."

I sighed, closing my eyes. They were having trouble adjusting anyways. I'd been in the dark for too long.

"It's almost six," He went on, his footsteps echoing throughout the cell. I could feel him walking around me. "So, I suggest you get the talking. You don't have much time."

"Why not?" I asked quietly. My voice was used to not being used so my words came out raspy. I swallowed. He chuckled.

"Well, we're busy men. And we have other things we need to be doing that don't involve babysitting some stubborn woman. Not to mention," He added, an evident smirk in his tone. "This place isn't going to be here too much longer."

I opened my eyes at that. He stopped in front of me, resting his hands on either side of the chair and staring into my eyes.

"You are deep in the underground network of the department of defense," He said, his voice cold. "This place is one of the top secured places in the United States. And in exactly five days it will be responsible for the largest terrorist attack this country has seen."

My eyes widened and he laughed, pushing off the chair arms and resuming his pacing. The boy at the door shifted.

"I knew that poker face would go soon," He said with a laugh. I glared.

"What's going to happen?" I asked. He spun around, shaking his head.

"Ah ah ah." He wiggled his index finger at me, smirking. "No freebies for you, Ms. Alston. You tell me what I want to know and then you can ask all the questions you want."

I shook my head. "No." His smile faded. "I'm not stupid. The only thing I'm going to see when I tell you everything is a body bag."

"Now, now." He snorted. "Either way, do you really think you'll be getting out of this alive?"

His words made my lungs deflate and a brief panic clutched my chest. He was right. I was going to die in here.

"Tell me what you know about Marilyn George." He ceased his pacing and stood directly in front of me, his hands tucked behind his back. I looked at him.

"Who?"

"You know who." He glared at me. "Marilyn George. She's the inventor of that lovely little gift you had for us when we captured you."

Marilyn George. My mind was so foggy. I scrunched my eyes closed and tried to think. Marilyn George…

The ampscine! My eyes shot open and I lifted my head to see Danny staring at me expectantly.

"Well?"

I shook my head, dropping my gaze to the ground again. I heard him groan.

"Fine." His voice grew louder. "Then tell me what you know about the resistance."

My head shot up at that one. He was surveying me with a cold, hard stare.

"No."

His glare intensified. The boy by the door stepped forward.

"Maybe she doesn't know anything-"

"Shut up, Tyler!" Danny roared, causing him to freeze. "This bitch knows _everything_! And how could she not?" He looked back at me. "We know who you are. We know who your father was."

"So?"

"SO?" He opened his mouth then closed it again, spinning on his heel and storming towards the door. "Open the fucking door!" He roared. Tyler quickly pushed it open before being shoved aside by a furious Danny. He pointed into the room and snapped his fingers.

"Get her."

Three bulky men came into the cell, their faces covered. I swallowed, looking up at them.

"Take this…this _idiot _to chamber six!" Danny snapped. "I'm done with her. Let the big guys get through to her." He laughed at me, his voice cold. "You should've just talked to _me_, sweetie!" He yelled over the sound of one of the men unlocking the chains that bound my hands. "It would've been so much easier."

"What, for you?" I spat as the chains clattered to the ground and the two other men stepped forward to grab my wrists. Danny and Tyler stepped aside as they shoved me forward, my feet unsure on the rough ground below it. He shook his head.

"No. For _you." _He laughed. "You act tough, but you'll be just like the others. You'll break. And when you do you'll be _begging _us to kill you."

_

* * *

_

_Caesar_

We reached DC by five that morning. Cindy was asleep in the backseat and I myself was snoozing in the front, and the next thing I knew the engine was cutting off, making the car surprisingly silent. I cracked an eye open to see Huey staring up at the ceiling with his hands behind his head and his feet propped up on the dashboard. I sat up as behind us Cindy yawned before rolling over and promptly falling on the floor.

_"Shit_," She groaned into the floor, her voice muffled. I shook my head, looking around.

We were parked on the far end of a rest stop parking lot, which was deserted except for an old looking thunderbird that was right in front of the visitor center. I let my eyes fall on Huey, who wasn't even acknowledging that he was aware of us being awake.

"Aye." He didn't even blink. "You okay?"

He looked away from the ceiling long enough to glare at me.

"Alright, wrong question. Damn." His gaze flickered back to the ceiling. "Well, we're here. We're in Washington. What are we supposed to do now if we can't get into the Pentagon until tonight?"

Either he was too absorbed in his thoughts or he was ignoring me, I couldn't tell. Just when I went to speak again he opened his mouth.

"An African proverb said "you must judge the work of a man by his hands"." Huey didn't look my way. He didn't even acknowledge that Cindy and I were there. Behind us Cindy sat up, shaking her hair out of her face. "That's a lie."

I didn't even bother trying to cut in.

"When I got to Chicago with Riley I started getting into the resistance." Huey let his hands drop to his knees. "Ever since I was fifteen, even _before _I was fifteen, I judged success on the things that people do." Finally, he looked at me. "You have to understand, that if we can't get her back…then everything I've done, everything I've accomplished, it's not going to matter. If we don't get her back, then-"

"We're going to get her back, man." I shook my head. "You can't think that way. People go crazy thinking that way."

"We're going to figure this out," Cindy added. She rested her hand on Huey's shoulder, laying her head on my own shoulder. "It seems impossible now, damn right. But we're going to get her back."

Huey nodded, his jaw set.

"I think," I said aloud, making them both look at me. "That we need to eat something. We need to try and plan something out even before we meet up with the others. And we need to sleep."

"Damn right on that one," Cindy mumbled in agreement, flopping back in her seat and shutting her eyes. Huey shook his head and I gave him a look.

"You gon get some rest. Now, get out the car."

He raised his eyebrow. "Say what?"

"Get out the car!" I shot back.

"And why…would I do that."

"Because I'm driving." To prove my point I unlocked the doors and climbed out the car, leaving the door open and walking around to yank Huey's own door open. He stared up at me wordlessly.

"Get up."

"What?" Huey snorted. "No."

I shrugged, reaching towards him. Huey rolled his eyes.

"Oh, you're going to _force _me to get out the car?" He shook his head. "As if you could."

"Fine." I grinned towards Cindy, who was poking her head up front. "Cindy? If you will please?"

Cindy grinned. Huey raised his eyebrow towards me questioningly, too busy focusing on me to notice Cindy's index finger reaching towards his right side, right above his hip. She poked as hard as she could and Huey jumped, practically falling out of the car. I took the moment of weakness to shoot into the driver's seat and buckled myself in as both of us laughed. Huey, who was now outside the car, glared at us.

"What the hell was _that_?"

"Aww," Cindy laughed, flexing her finger. "Is ickle Huey mad because we found out he's ticklish?"

"I," He said with all the force he could muster. "Am _not _ticklish."

"Boy, please." She smacked her lips. "You're worse than Tickle-Me-Elmo."

"Shut up." He wandered around to the opposite side of the car and grudgingly eased himself into the passenger seat, plopping his feet on the dashboard all over again and folding his arms across his chest. He glared at me.

"Happy?"

"Yup!" I cut the engine on, glancing over my shoulder as I threw the car in reverse. "I'll be even happier when we get to IHOP-"

"Hell no!" Huey protested, his mouth falling open. "IHOP? Do you _want _to die?"

"Boy, we hungry! Shoot, majority rules!" Cindy shouted from the backseat. "Don't play like you too good to eat some pancakes."

Huey shook his head, closing his eyes. I smirked as I drove across the parking lot before pulling back onto the interstate, the sun sitting low on our shoulders.

* * *

_Jazmine_

When the two men had thrown me into some dimly lit room so that I fell to the hard floor they'd left before I could even blink. I'd barely had time to register what was going on before I was being locked up _again_, this time my wrists being cuffed to some pole that ran up from the floor to the ceiling in the center of the room. Then, the people who did that left as well, leaving me alone all over again.

Rude.

I hadn't had much time to take in my surroundings before I could hear new footsteps outside the door, accompanied by voices.

"So then he said man, don't pull that gay shit on me. I will kill you! I won't even bein gay! He was the one wearing a goddamn purple thong-" One voice was saying. There was a sigh.

"Alright, Kevin?" The other voice was much older, colder. "I don't pay you to give me your anecdotes. I pay you to get me information." There was the sound of a key in the lock and the door swung open. Thomas Addison himself, followed by some guy who was presumably Kevin, filed into the room. "Speaking of informants…" Addison looked towards me, giving me a soft smile. "Well hello there, Ms. Alston."

I rolled my eyes. "You do know that's not my last name, right?"

"Oh, of course." Addison's voice was dry. "Apparently, it was Lawrence?"

I glared at him. He shrugged, dropping an ID on a metal table that was further near the back of the room, retrieving a ring of keys from his pocket. He came over to me and to my surprise unlocked the cuffs. They fell to the ground and I rubbed my wrists, staring at him warily. He offered me a smile that was anything but warm. Kevin was standing in front of the door, his arms crossed.

"I don't think binding you is necessary, do you?" Addison asked, as if he couldn't care less if I responded. He probably didn't. I stared at him as he turned away, walking to the table and sitting in one of the two chairs that were pushed under it. He gestured to me.

"Please. Have a seat."

Who was he, my old high school principal? I shook my head and he smiled, shaking his as well.

"Come on, Jazmine." He rested his elbows on the table. "Let's be civilized about this. You don't have to make this any harder than it needs to be."

Well. He wasn't hitting me. He wasn't _yelling_. He wasn't tying me up. Huh. I slowly shuffled over to the table, easing the other chair out and slowly sitting down opposite of him, resting my hands in my lap. He looked satisfied.

"Now, wasn't that easy?"

God, I hated condescending talk. I set my jaw, glaring at him as he folded his hands on the surface of the table.

"Now." He cleared his throat. "I think it's only fair that I explain to you what's going on before demanding anything of you. That sounds fair, right?"

I shrugged. His lips curled into a smile.

"Good. Now." He snapped his fingers and Kevin brought over a manila folder. I stared at the man, not being able to help sense something familiar about him. He wordlessly handed the thick folder to Addison, who took it without another word. Kevin shuffled back to the door and Addison opened the file, flipping through it. "You see, you have information that we need. Information that you may think isn't important, but costs us everything. No one's willing to admit it, but we're quite dependant on you." He shut the folder, flopping it down on the table. I glanced at it. "I need to know what you know about the ampscine. I need to know what you know about the people that are conspiring against the government. I need to know these things…otherwise thousands will die. Can you understand that?"

I nodded. He sat back, drumming his fingers on the countertop. "Good."

"Tell me what you know first," I mumbled. He frowned, shaking his head.

"It doesn't work that way."

I frowned myself. "Then I guess it won't work at all."

"Ms…Jazmine." He scooted the chair back, pushing himself to his feet. "You don't seem to be comprehending the severity of this situation."

"I do."

"We could easily kill you and find out what we need to the hard way."

"Then I guess I'm not as depended on as you said, huh?"

"This isn't a game."

"Not a fun one, anyways."

Addison glared at me. I glared back.

"Jazmine, are you aware of the objective of the Department of Defense?"

That was an odd question. I raised an eyebrow, looking up at him. "To…decide what's best for our country security wise?" He snorted.

"Alright…do you know what the _new _objective of the Department of Defense is?"

I shook my head.

"To start a new government." I blinked. "You see…" He started pacing, not taking his eyes off me. It was a bit nerve wracking. "The Pentagon is, or was, about protecting the country. Only in four days, it will be the cause of a destruction this country hasn't seen since the American Revolution. The Civil War. It'll be 9/11, 7/4, and the Vietnam War all mixed in one. Regardless of what you say or do lives will be lost. But if you help us, we can reduce the casualties."

"And how am I supposed to do _that_?"

"Easy. You tell us what you know about the ampscine. That's all." He held up a hand. "Cross my heart."

I glared. "Fine. I don't know anything."

He blinked. "Lying isn't an option."

"Good thing I'm telling the truth, then." I looked him square in the eye. "I have no idea."

He sighed, running a hand over his face and propping his other hand on the table in front of him. "Alright, then. Tell me who _does_know about it."

I shrugged, shaking my head. "I don't know."

"Oh, you know." Addison gave her a curt smile. "You were surrounded by people who have been involved in this a lot longer than you've been. They must have known something. Otherwise, why would the ampscine have been entrusted to you all?"

"I don't know," I said in a slightly sharp tone. "Why don't you ask _them_?"

Addison gave me a long stare before sighing.

"You know, I thought you'd be reasonable." He glared at me. "Your father didn't put up nearly as much of a fight when we killed him."

I felt the blood drain out of my face. Sensing that he'd hit home, he began pacing again, this time going in circles around the table so that he was passing behind me. I heard him chuckle.

"I know a lot more about you than you could ever imagine, Jazmine." He passed in front of the table again, his hands behind his back. "I've combed every inch of your history for anything that could help us win this. You can help me to make it easier, or you can struggle. But I warn you now, the latter would not be wise.

"Marilyn George, the creator of the ampscine, was a prominent member of the resistance. She was a very gifted chemist, I'll give her that. The ampscine was the result of one of her creations." He held up the chunk of metal that glinted in the light from the dimly lit cell. "She worked for the department of defense, for a time." He lightly tossed it in his hand, catching it. "She, as a matter of fact, helped modify the security in this place. She's the reason we were so vulnerable. Now that we have the ampscine though, we're now back to our rightful place as the most secure, most dangerous place in the country."

"Most vulnerable?" I asked quietly. He nodded.

"George created a network of mechanical instruments and electrical volts large enough to blow this place to the ground." He held the ampscine higher. "Not only is this the key to us destroying those who stand in our way of truly cleansing the country, but this also serves as a self destruct button for the entire facility." He smirked as my jaw dropped. "It's that important."

"How do you plan on "cleansing" everyone with that thing?" I asked, my stomach dropping to my knees. Addison smiled.

"Easy. Marilyn George perfected the art that military strategists know as "selective bombing". It's similar to what happens to quarantined villages and towns where the military will drop bombs on them, wiping out the entire city and eliminating the threat of a pandemic. Only in this case, bombs are made with a certain structure so that they only bind to those with a specific genetic makeup. That means, when we signal the bombs that we will have perfected using this-" He held up the ampscine again "-to detonate over the major cities of the US, they will. They'll spread pathogens throughout the air that will attach themselves into the airways of citizens who don't have the right genetic makeup. And they'll die. The rest will live."

"You're sick." I glared at him, setting my jaw. He smirked.

"Jazmine. Jazmine, Jazmine." He walked over to me, trailing his index finger along my cheek. "You're so young and naïve of this world. Don't you get it? We are the chosen people. This is what we were put here for."

"What, to kill people who don't believe the same thing as us?" I shook my head. "You're full of shit. I'm ashamed that we're even a part of the same religion." He frowned. "What will killing thousands, millions of innocent people do to get your point across? It's genocide. It's genocide against your own country. How sick can you_ get_?"

"Ah." Addison shook his head. "Danny told me you were ridiculously stubborn." He sighed. "I really don't feel like dealing with childish antics and foolish rebellion."

I clamped my mouth shut. He snapped his fingers and Kevin, who had stood at the door during the entire exchange, rushed forward.

"Give me the drug."

_Fuck_.

I stood up, knocking over my chair. Before I could take a step back Addison was grabbing me, suddenly bringing me into a painful headlock and jabbing me in the center of my throat, then in the hollow space between my throat and my collarbone before another jab hit my elbow. I fell to my knees, feeling my muscles flare up in pain. His arm was still around my neck. I tried to move my own arms but they felt so heavy I could only hand there as he lifted my sleeve, pricking the inside of my arm and pressing the syringe down. He withdrew the needle and let me go so that I dropped straight down to the floor, my back to the ground and my face lifted to the ceiling. I stared up at him in shock. I tried to move but I couldn't.

What the hell had he _done _to me?

"Pressure points. They're something, no?" He asked, crouching down and plucking a strand of hair out of my face. I swallowed, not being able to do anything but blink and breathe. "It's a wonder how the body works. You'll find out soon enough."

My eyebrows drew together in confusion. Kevin came to stand on my other side, practically laughing. I peered into his face, and gasped.

He was the man who had been at Addison's party, talking in the hallway! He was the one who had killed the other guy! He was the one who had figured me out! He _had _to be!

I opened my mouth to say exactly what was running through my mind, only instead I stopped as I felt an odd, burning sensation spreading through my veins. At first I thought I was imagining it…but when it got worse and worse and suddenly it felt as if every inch of my skin was on fire. I closed my eyes and grit my teeth together to keep from crying out. I could barely register Addison's voice over my head.

"It's another experiment of some of our scientists," He said calmly, obviously not phased. "The drug I gave you goes to the brain and triggers the release of a chemical that triggers the pain receptors throughout your body. Every last one of your receptors is being awakened as we speak. It's alright," He added as an afterthought. "You can scream if you want."

The pain was steadily increasing, practically taking my breath away. I squeezed my eyes even tighter shut, feeling my fingers clench together. His paralysis trick seemed to be wearing off, but the pain was so intense I couldn't even imagine trying to walk at this point. I groaned, trying to breathe through the pain. I opened my eyes to see Addison still standing over me. I was in so much pain my vision was actually going in and out of focus and I could feel myself shaking. He shrugged.

"Don't worry." He lifted his foot. "It wears off in half an hour."

And with that, he brought his foot crashing down on my ribs.

I couldn't help it; I let out an ear splattering scream, my spine lifting off the ground beneath me. It was as if the impact of his foot, the cracking sensation of my bones, had sent my insides into a frenzy. I let out a sob, gripping uselessly at the stone floor, my nails scratching along the surface. He stepped over me, ignoring my screaming and crying as he strode towards the door.

"I'll leave you alone to decide on if you're going to talk for a little while." I barely made out his words or his face. Kevin was at his side and his hand was on the door. "Nice talking with you."

He slammed the door shut and I screamed again; so loud that it echoed through the cell and seemed to smack me in the face all over again. I couldn't help it.

"HELP ME!" I screamed, the words fleeing my mouth before I could even think about it. Hell, I _couldn't _think. All I could see, all I could hear, touch or feel, was the pain that was consuming me. I shrieked again, sobbing.

I was going to die. There was no way I could survive this. The worst part was that the pain was so unbearable that I couldn't even pass out. Instead I was forced to try and fight it, which was a futile task. I finally gave in, letting myself break down and cry, screaming until I was hoarse, until I'd used every last bit of energy I had. And even then, it didn't end.

* * *

_Caesar_

The good news was that the chip we'd slipped to Jazmine was in close enough range that it would work.

The bad news was that…well, the chip we'd slipped to Jazmine was in close enough range that it would work.

It was lucky that Cindy was in the gas station buying chips and that Huey was on the phone with Riley, otherwise he'd probably be hell bent on us going to the Pentagon at this very moment and getting ourselves killed. I could hear every word that Addison and Jazmine had exchanged, from his explanation of the usage of the ampscine to Jazmine's agonizing screams. They'd seemed to go on and on in my ear while Huey and Cindy did their own thing and I had to manage not to fall apart. By the time they got back in the car, luckily for them, whatever Jazmine had been given had worn off and they'd dragged her back to her cell. Huey flopped back in the passenger seat and gave me a look.

"You okay?"

I nodded. Even Cindy noticed.

"Baby, what's wrong?" She said, resting a hand on my shoulder. I shook my head, taking out the earpiece and twisting it in my fingers.

"I got reception again."

Huey stiffened. Cindy eased back in her seat, her eyes wide.

"What happened?" She asked. I shook my head. I knew I was supposed to be strong, was supposed to know that we'd get her out of there…but…I never imagined it would be so intense, listening to what was happening. Somehow I thought I'd be able to handle it. I guess I was wrong.

"Give it to me." Huey held out his palm, his face stern. I gave him a look.

"I don't know, man." I shook my head again. "It's…it's hard to listen to."

"I don't care." Huey closed his eyes. "I need to hear her."

"Not like this, you don't," I warned him. He shook his head, persistent.

"I'd rather hear something than nothing." When he didn't let up I sighed, dropping it into his palm. He put it in his own ear, frowning.

"I don't hear anything."

"Lucky." He glanced back at me. "She was screaming. It was…I don't know what they did to her, but-"

"What did Riley say?" Cindy cut in, shaking her head. Huey glanced back at her.

"Well, he and most the other members are in southeast. Cairo and Maya are flying down in about six more hours. Everyone's set on midnight."

"Good." Cindy leaned over the backseat, massaging my shoulders. "We knew they wouldn't go easy on her. _She _knew they wouldn't go easy on her."

"I know, but…" I shook my head. "Forget it. I would've tried to communicate with her but I didn't know if she was alone. And I couldn't hear anything over her yelling."

"She's mumbling." Huey, unlike me, was…amused. I raised an eyebrow at him.

"How is there _anything _funny about this?" I couldn't help but snap. This was a reversal role, for sure. Usually I was the somewhat optimistic, or at least calmer one. Cindy looked at Huey as well, who had his hand pressed against the earpiece. His eyes flickered towards Caesar.

"She said she didn't know if any of us could hear her. She told us that if we did hear her, to hurry our asses up."

Cindy burst out laughing. I shook my head, covering my eyes with my hand.

"She'll be okay," Cindy reassured me, kissing my forehead. "It's almost time. We'll get her back."

"That's the thing." I grounded them both with a dark look. "Exactly how much time does she really have?"

* * *

_Maya_

Life changes us.

I watched the sun set over the horizon, the cold wind whipping my face, sending my hair blowing back in the wind. My hands were shoved deep in my coat, my eyes narrowed towards the western horizon.

Most people say that everything happens for a reason. I'd been a skeptic; I'd found most situations to be an odd coincidence. I didn't like to believe that my mother and sister's death were for "a reason". I didn't enjoy thinking that this entire conflict in our country was happening for "a reason".

But as I stood there, overlooking the city, I had to rethink my stance. I had to rethink a lot of things.

Maybe there was a reason I was alive and they weren't. I'd lived with the guilt from the day they'd been killed before my own eyes. I'd torn into anyone who even tried to tell me that I was alive for a reason. But maybe they were right.

Maybe I'd lived so that I could help save others from suffering the same way they had. Maybe this was how it was supposed to be, in some fucked up way.

I heard heavy footsteps crunching in the grass behind me and Cairo stepped up beside me, staring off into the horizon as well. I glanced up at him, rocking back and forth on my heels.

"Where do you think we'll go after we get Jazmine back?"

Cairo shrugged. "I don't know. Out west, maybe. South." He glanced away. "At least, the rest of you will be."

I raised an eyebrow. "What is that supposed to mean?"

Cairo looked at me, his mouth set in a hard line. I could see tiny flecks of gold in his hazel eyes.

"I'm going to find my brother." He stared ahead again, his eyes narrowed. "He's somewhere out there. I know it."

"You're going back to Chicago?" I whispered, my heart clenching. He nodded. "By yourself?"

"Well, we all can't just go back." Cairo offered me a tiny smile. "You know that."

"I know." I bit my lip. "But…you can't go alone." I faced forward again. "No one deserves to be alone."

"Well, what do you suggest?"

I shrugged, glancing back up at him. "I go with you."

He froze. "What?"

"I go with you," I repeated slowly. Cairo blinked, regarding me with a wary stare.

"Maya." He shook his head. "You can't do that."

"And why not?" I put a hand on my hip. "Don't tell me it's too dangerous. That's the story of our lives."

"I wasn't going to say that." He shook his head, his hands in his own pockets. "They need you here."

I nodded, staring off into the sky again. He did the same. After a few seconds I glanced back at him.

"I need you here." I noticed his eyebrows raise but went on regardless. "If you leave and I don't ever hear from you again…I don't know what I'll do."

"You'll get over-"

"Don't tell me what I will and won't get over!" I snapped. He flinched. "I _need _you, Cairo. You've always been there. You're my constant." I felt my throat close up. "Within all this chaos, this…_shit_, you're my constant." I pressed my lips together. "I need to be where you are."

He shook his head. "You don't know what you're saying."

"You're wrong." I narrowed my eyes at him when he continued to look skeptical. "I do. I know _exactly _what I'm saying."

"Maya-"

"No." I squared my shoulders, my eyes softening. "You lost everything. Your own mother betrayed you. And despite what you say, you're afraid of being hurt or hurting anyone else. You think you might turn into the bad guy." I rested my hand on his arm. "You're not."

"Maya." His teeth were clenched. "This is _not _a good time."

"There's _never _a good time!" I snapped. "We could all be dead by tomorrow! All I want you to know is, in case we are still alive when the sun rises, that where you go, I'll go." I took his hand in mine. "I won't let you be alone."

He stared at me. I swallowed.

"You've been alone too long."

His lips parted, his eyes uncertain. And then we were in each other's arms, holding on as if there was no tomorrow.

I hadn't realized how much I needed him. How much he'd been there for me, even when I wasn't there for him. "I just can't believe I realized it too late," I whispered to myself. I felt his warm breath tickle my neck.

"It's never too late," He said back. I closed my eyes.

"Hey!" We broke apart to see Casey Hill standing beside the helicopter, patting the nose. He smirked, lifting his chin. "Y'all ready?"

Cairo and I exchanged glances, nodding. We started towards the helicopter, and I slid my hand in his. I felt his palm enclose over mine and tucked my free hand in my pocket, smiling softly.

It was never too late. For relationships, for realizations, for change. Sure, maybe none of it came when we wanted it to, or even expected it to. But come it does.

It's never too late.

* * *

_I love how I keep realizing after every chapter that there's still more left. I thought there'd be one more chapter after this one and then the epilogue but uh...no way. There's at least two chapters and then an epilogue. Any shorter and you all would be screaming for blood._

_In case anyone asks, the quote at the beginning really _is _something Jazmine said...if you read a certain one shot I put up. It's not necessary to read, I just didn't want people to be all "wtf?! When she say dat shit?!"_

_Anyways, thanks for reading! REVIEW PLEASE. PLEASE. . :P Gotta sista beggin an shit. :P  
-Kelsey_


	27. Chapter Twenty Six

_Thanks to sweetiepye2 for the review. That's...basically it..._

_Happy Valentine's Day? Oh, whatever. :P_

_Disclaimer: I don't own the Boondocks. _

* * *

Old Soul

Chapter Twenty-Six

_"Only those who risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go."_

_-T.S. Eliot_

_

* * *

_

_Jazmine_

"Welcome to cell eighteen."

I looked up wearily, glancing into the cell before back towards Danny, who was holding one of my arms. I raised an eyebrow.

"Seriously?"

He smirked, shrugging. "What can I say?" He suddenly shoved me so that I fell into the cell, landing on my stomach. I shook my hair out of my face, glaring back at him. "They wanted company." He grinned. "Female company."

And with that, he slammed the door shut.

I swallowed, slowly looking back up. The cell itself was small, much smaller than my original one had been. This one had a lower ceiling as well as a dim light that was in the center of the gray ceiling. I noticed a big spider scurrying in the corner and shivered. Gross. It was a good thing I felt so drained of energy, otherwise I'd probably be having a heart attack right now.

"Hey!" The loud voice made me jerk to attention. "Who are you?"

I swallowed, sitting up. The four other men that occupied the cell were glaring at me, their eyebrows raised. They were sitting around a chess board that seemed to be missing quite a few pieces. They looked mean. I gulped.

All of them were undoubtedly huge, muscular and strong. Three of them were black while the other one seemed to be some sort of Native American. They all had on muscle shirts, which made their muscles all the more intimidating, they all had tattoos that covered the majority of the visible parts of their bodies, and they all had matching sneers. All of which were directed towards me.

"Um…hi?" I tried. One of them stood up and I practically broke my neck lifting my head to stare up at him. His head almost hit the ceiling, which had to be a good seven feet tall! "Nice…to meet you?"

The other men, as huge as their cell mate, rose to their feet, staring down at me and clenching their fists. I cringed. One of them, the first one to stand up, walked over to me in two big strides and reached down, picking me up by my collar and lifting me clear off my feet. I let out a tiny squeak, partly because my ribs were still in bad shape, partly because oh-my-god-what-the-hell-was-going-to-happen-to-me? He examined my probably terrified face, his brown eyes blinking.

"You scared of me?" He asked in a deep voice.

I could've lied. I could've acted tough…fuck that. Instead I hurriedly nodded, my own eyes huge.

"Yeah." I swallowed. "Hell yeah."

To my surprise they all laughed, so hard that the cell seemed to shake. I offered him a nervous grin as he set me on my feet, holding out a big, meaty hand.

"The name's Commie," He said. I raised an eyebrow.

"Commie as in…Communist?"

"Yup." He shrugged. "It's funny cause I'm a Democrat."

It didn't seem to be one of those "you had to be there" funny things, but he didn't seem to mind when I showed no hint of being amused. He jabbed his other hand over his shoulder towards the others. "And those are Buckshot, Hollywood, and Fender."

I raised my eyebrow again, but didn't try to question them. Not while I was in the clear. I shook his hand, which was tiny in his grasp. "Jazmine DuBois," I said. I was already a prisoner. No use in using fake names now. The one called Fender's jaw dropped.

"Aye!" He said, snapping his fingers and getting the other two's attention. "She's that resistance girl! The one from Illinois!"

"Oh shit, forreal?" Commie stared down at me, seemingly impressed. "Is it true you threw an ice cream truck at a helicopter?"

"What?" My jaw dropped. "No!"

"Oh. Well…" He scratched his head. "Did you blow up a blockade down in Georgia?"

"Um…" I shook my head. "No."

The three of them exchanged looks.

Well, damn. If these were the rumors circulating around about me, no wonder everyone had wanted me dead. They looked so disappointed that I spoke up.

"Um…" Their heads whipped back towards me. "I…I killed a nigga?"

They glanced from me back to each other, then to me again. Commie nodded.

"Street cred. Word." He pointed down to the chess board. "Wanna play, Shortcake?"

Shortcake. I wondered if that was going to be my nickname. I raised an eyebrow.

"Really?" When he looked confused I shrugged. "I mean, that's it, right?" When his puzzled look deepened I shoved my hands in my pockets, rocking nervously on my heels. "Nothing else?"

He looked at his cellmates again, then back at me.

"Yeah." He shrugged. "What the hell else did you think we were going to do?"

_Gangbang, assault, tear-me-from-limb-to-limb-with-those-big-ass-hands-of-yours_, I thought silently. Aloud I shrugged, offering them a smile.

"I'll play."

"Whoo!" The four of them sat back down, making space so that I could squeeze in between Commie and Hollywood. I rested my hands on my knees, glancing around.

"So, how long have you all been here?" I asked, trying to make conversation. Hollywood sighed.

"Three months." He stared down at the board. "We all came in the same day. I'm from here, DC, and Fender's from Louisiana. Buckshot and Commie are from Maryland."

"We were in the Army," Buckshot interjected. "They arrested us after we refused to bomb a federal building down in Atlanta."

I nodded. "That's so sad."

"Well it is, but we're tough. We can handle it." Fender shrugged. "They're getting tired of us, though. I don't know how time we have before-" He cut off, staring towards the door. Buckshot and Hollywood glanced at each other. I felt a lump rise in my throat.

"It's so unfair." The four of them looked at me. "You're being punished for doing the right thing." Maybe I was feeling over emotional, but I felt tears instantly flood my eyes. They looked alarmed.

"Don't cry, Shortcake!" Commie rapidly shook his head. I bit my lip, trying to keep the tears at bay. "Look. With the way the world is…well, it was bound to happen. But maybe we'll get out of here-"

"We _won't_," I sniffled. They looked confused. "They're going to destroy this place in a matter of days."

After my statement they fell silent, the cell becoming eerily quiet. I wiped at my eyes, staring down at my knees.

"Do you have any family?" Fender asked. He had an afro, instantly reminding me of Huey. I felt my eyes tear up all over again.

"No."

"Well." Commie smirked. "Don't fret, little Shortcake." He offered me his fist. "You're one of us now."

I raised my own fist to his, laughing through my tears. The others laughed as well. When the laughter died down, I felt my smile fade.

"We can't just wait around to die." I dropped my voice, glancing around the circle. "We've got to get out of here."

They looked wary.

"You do know this is one of the most secure buildings in the country, right?" Hollywood asked in a serious tone. I nodded.

"Well, you four were in the military." I shrugged. "Don't you know how to do…I don't know…military stuff?"

"Yeah, but Hun," Commie said. "People have tried to break out of here before. They always get caught." He sighed. "Always."

"Well, if we're going to die anyway," I asked. "Do we have really have anything to lose?"

Buckshot's eyes narrowed. He looked wary. "Are you sure you're really a prisoner?"

It was my turn to look confused. "_What_?"

"This place is highly secured." He gestured around the cell. "There's cameras everywhere. Mics, audio devices…they can hear every word. Are you in here to try and get info out of us that they can use?"

"Seriously?!" I choked. The other three started to look reluctant as well.

"You know…" Hollywood stroked his chin. "It's starting to make sense." He glared at me. "Otherwise, why would they put a woman in a cell full of men?"

I didn't even bother to point out the most common reason that women and men inmates were often separated. Hey, if they didn't honestly know, then good for me.

"Yeah!" Commie jumped up, angry. "Are you a traitor, Shortcake?"

"No!" I snapped, looking up at him. Fender crossed his big, muscular arms over his chest.

"Prove it."

I sighed, looking down at the floor and back up at them again.

"I don't have any family," I said, my voice slightly wavering. "But there's a guy." Instantly, the doubt fell off their faces. "I'd really like to see him again. And I'm pretty sure I won't be able to do that if they kill me. I'd rather not stick around to find out."

Commie dropped back to the floor. Fender and Hollywood looked at each other. Even Buckshot looked sympathetic.

"Do you love him?" He asked. I covered my eyes with my hand.

"Yes."

"Does he love you?"

I shrugged. "I hope so."

The four of them stared at each other as the cell doors opened. We whirled around, directing our attention towards the door as a tall, lanky man with longish blonde hair and blue eyes. Tyler.

He stepped into the cell, closing the door behind him and locking it. My eyes narrowed.

"Who the hell are you?" Commie demanded.

"He's Thomas Addison's son," I mumbled, my voice not much friendlier. The others glared at him.

"What do you want?" Fender asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

Tyler glanced over his shoulder, then towards us. He looked…nervous?

"I want to help." He took a deep breath, training his gaze on me. "I want to help get you out of here."

We all fell silent. Then, Hollywood spoke up.

"Of course you do." His tone was filled with sarcasm. "That's why you go into a room with heavy surveillance to inform us of that, right? Want to get some cool points in with your old man?"

Tyler glared and held up a small device that seemed to be some remote controller. "The cameras to this room are off. In fact, any signaling devices that output or receive signals are disabled. I turned them off." We all raised our eyebrows, different degrees of surprise written across our faces. "This isn't a joke. What they're doing…I can't just stand by and watch it without doing anything to stop it. That's just as bad as committing the offenses."

"You got that right," I snapped, slightly bitter. He turned to me, frowning.

"I'm sorry." He hung his head. "I'm so sorry for what they've done to you."

Everyone looked at me and I sat up straighter, folding my hands in my lap. "I'll get over it, I suppose-"

"No." Tyler gave me an odd look. "He didn't tell you, did he?"

I frowned. "Tell me…what?" I felt a cold sweat break out over me and wrapped my arms protectively around my shoulders. Tyler took a deep breath, sighing.

"What they injected you with earlier…it's killing you."

_That _made everyone calm down. Not.

"Wait, what?" Fender's jaw dropped.

"Not Shortcake!" Commie practically wailed.

"How?" Buckshot asked.

I sat rooted to the spot, trying to think of something, anything, to say. I looked up at Tyler, shaking my head.

"How?"

"I don't know the details." Tyler was beginning to pace in front of the door. "But it's something that affects your blood, infects your muscles. It attacks your organs. It slows down your heart."

Oh, no. The tears were coming. I covered my mouth with my hand, trying to keep them at bay.

"It's…treatable," He went on, his eyes filled with sympathy. "There's no cure, but it can be managed. At least if it's caught before it damages your organs." He stopped, running a hand through his hair. "But the pain…it's going to come back. It'll go away, but it will always come back."

"How long do I have before it's…too late?" I practically whispered. Tyler sighed.

"I don't know." He shook his head. "This is why you, all of you, need to get out of here. If you hurry up and get to a hospital-"

"I don't have an ID," I said quietly. He stared at me.

"So?"

"I don't have a birth certificate, a social security card, a _real _name." I frowned. "If I go to a hospital and use Jazmine DuBois they'll probably arrest me on the spot. If I use my old, fake name, they'll probably arrest me for that, too. Even if I get out of here I won't be able to get any help."

"There's medicine here!" Tyler practically shouted, throwing up his hands. "It's somewhere in this building!"

"And I'll probably be killed before I find it." I shook my head, letting my hand cover my eyes. "There's nothing we can do."

"Shortcake." I felt a hand on my shoulder and looked up to see Fender staring down at me, his eyes serious. "Don't give up. We'll help you."

"Yeah!" Hollywood interjected.

"We'll bust outta here." Commie paused. "We'll bust _everyone _outta here."

"And we'll burn this place to the ground!" Buckshot added, triumphant. I suddenly gasped, thinking of the ampscine, and the plan to kill all those people.

Their greatest weapon…was also their weakness.

"Wait." They all looked at me. I tried to push away the fact that I was dying, tried to keep down the sadness of knowing that there was no way I'd get out of this alive, so that I could fully focus on the plan that was already setting into motion in my head. "I have a plan."

* * *

_Cindy_

"Time?"

"Eleven nineteen."

"Good."

I bent down to lace my boots, my ponytail falling over my shoulder. We'd met up with Riley and some other people who were involved in this over five hours ago, just to formulate so kind of plan. Based off of some layouts of the pentagon that we'd found on the internet Riley had been able to draw up some floor plans as we tried to find out the best possible route to take to get in there. He was still in a room down the hall, going over our plans.

Who would've thought _Riley Freeman _would be so dedicated to a cause?

There was a knock on the door, but it opened before either Caesar or I had a chance to acknowledge it. I glared up at Huey as he strode in, loaded down with supplies.

"Somehow," I said dryly. "I don't think you learned the right lessons on the etiquette of knocking."

He rolled his eyes. "Whatever." He tosses what looked like a bullet proof vest towards Caesar, who caught it in one hand. He handed me one as well. He was already wearing his. He dropped the rest of the contents from his arms onto the bed and Caesar came closer. I glanced at them, my eyes widening.

"Goddamn!" I blinked as Caesar and Huey began picking up various weapons, loading guns and sorting through them like they did this every day. "What, did you rob an armory?"

"Nope." Huey pointing one of the guns, closing one eye as he aimed it towards the wall. "Stan from New Jersey works at one, apparently."

"Aye!" Riley burst into the room, his vest already loaded down with guns. My eyes widened. "Dis nigga gotta Striker 12!"

Huey looked up. Caesar's eyes widened.

"Word?"

"Why is that so interesting?" I asked, completely lost. Riley rolled his eyes.

"Dem shits is hard as hell to get hurr!"

"They're illegal in Canada," Caesar added.

"I'll trade you the Kel-Tec P-11 for the PT745," Huey said casually, looking at Caesar. Caesar laughed.

"You want me to give up a Taurus for that shit?" He shook his head. "You must've lost yo damn mind!"

Men.

"Oh, but dat ain' what I came fo!" Riley yelled, snapping his fingers. All three of us looked to the door. "Guess who I gots in contact with?"

We shrugged. Riley grinned, stepping aside as two all too familiar men stepped into the room.

"Iight." Ed Wuncler the Third sucked his teeth, observing his surroundings. "Here's what we gon do." He glanced towards me. "Damn, girl. How you doin'?"

I rolled my eyes and Caesar glared at him. Huey's jaw dropped.

"_Ed_ _and Gin Rummy_?" He glared towards Riley. "Are you kidding me?"

"Damn, Riley!" Gin Rummy shook his head. "You ain' tell us Huey was still hatin!"

"Huey's always hatin."

Huey rolled his eyes.

"See! Der you go, hatin again!"

"Riley, shut up!" Huey groaned, glaring at the two Woodcrest natives. "Do you two even know what we're doing?"

"Yeah!" Gin Rummy jabbed his finger towards Riley. "He briefed us in. Apparently we savin yo nappy headed, pippy longstockings lookin' girlfriend from round the way."

Huey closed his eyes, as if searching for patience. I couldn't help but snort.

"So here's tha deal." Ed stepped forward, scowling. "What we should do is just roll up in thur, straight blastin dem motha fuckas. Cuz then they won't know what happened and we can catch em' off guard. We get in there, fucks up a few bitches, cut up sum motha fuckas and grab Mariah before they even see what hit them."

"Nooo," Huey replied tartly, talking slowly as if explaining the plan to a child. Which, in this case, was basically true. "We're sticking to the original plan. We're going to be stealth and inconspicuous. We don't _want _them to know we're in there as long as possible! Otherwise we're all done for."

"See…dat…is sum bullshit!" Ed hollered. A vein in Huey's neck seemed to pop as he glared at him. "It's bout what…fiddy of us? And what…wait…how many of them is it?" When he spotted us all staring at him, eyebrows raised and jaws slack, he flipped up his middle finger, glaring. "The _fuck _y'all lookin at?"

"This isn't a game!" Huey yelled, causing us all the flinch. "If we fuck this up, Jazmine's going to die and we'll probably all die with her!" His eyes bore into Ed's. "If you get us killed…if you get _her _killed? I will kill you myself."

"Whoa! Okay!" Caesar danced in between the seething Huey and an oblivious Ed. "Look. We're all nervous here, but-"

"Oh hol' up, hol' up." Ed stepped forward. "We come up in here offering to help yo ass in a time of need-"

"Ed, shut the hell up!" Gin Rummy said, smacking him in the back of the head. He rolled his eyes behind his glasses. "You're forgetting that Huey here is a man of diplomacy." He beamed down at Huey, who looked nowhere near happy, let alone diplomatic. "Which is why we gonna go along with his little plan."

Huey raised an eyebrow. "Little?"

"Now." Rummy gestured towards Huey. "If you would like to tell us what to do, we will be happy to be of assistance."

"Man, dis sum-"

"_Ed_!"

Huey shook his head, rolling his eyes. "Alright." He glanced around at all of us. "Since Jazmine's chip picked up the signal from my earpiece I've been able to hear most of what's been going on with her today, minus an interference about an hour ago. It only lasted for about ten minutes so I don't think I missed much. She's in chamber six, cell eighteen. Apparently she and a few others are going to try to break out of there with the help of some guy named Tyler, since they're set to be killed sometime between today and four days from now."

Rummy nodded.

"The ampscine that we had is going to be used to carry out some national attack over the major cities of the US," He went on, folding his arms over his chest. "It's also the key to destroying the entire department of defense. Addison has it right now." His eyes narrowed. "I'm going to try to get it from him."

Wait, _what_?!

"Aye!" I said sharply. "That wasn't part of the plan!"

"Yeah!" Caesar agreed.

"Well, neither is letting millions of people get killed either!" Huey snapped. "If we're going to be there, then we might as well try to thwart that as well! Either the ampscine's going to be used to destroy the country of destroy the facility! Which one do you want?"

I bit my lip. "Then who's going to get Jazmine?"

Huey glared towards Ed and Rummy. "I am. Only she's going to leave on the helicopter with Cairo, Maya, you and Caesar."

"Whoa, whoa, _wait_." Caesar held up a hand. "You're _staying_?"

"If I set off the self destruction with the helicopter too close, then the wings could get caught in the updraft of the explosion and kill everyone." Huey raised an eyebrow at Riley, who was whispering something in Ed's ear. "I'd have to wait for you guys to get a safe distance away before doing it. The response will probably be close to instantaneous." Ed and Riley suddenly burst out laughing and Huey shot a glare towards them. "Cut it out!"

"If it's instantaneous…" I felt my throat clog. "You won't be able to get out."

He looked at me for a long moment before nodding. "I won't."

"Aw _hell_ naw-" Caesar started, but Huey cut him off.

"One life for a million." He picked another gun up, tucking it in his vest. "Someone's got to do it."

I looked away, trying not to cry.

"Dayum." Ed blinked. "Dis motha fucka forreal."

"Well, whatever you need, we got it." Gin Rummy nodded, folding his arms over his chest. Huey looked at him. "I mean it. You need some weapons, some backup, some up…back, we got it. Somebody to scope out for tha known unknowns and the unknown unknowns, the we-sorta-kinda-know-but-not-forreal-unknowns, and then some. We gon hit up dat place and straight brass gon be flyin, and they ain' gon be able to do nothing but sit there and take that shit like some pussies! Cause dat's how we do! We hit em up, fuck em up, tear em up, and leave dey asses like a gold diggin broad on sum real shit!"

I tilted my head to the side. "What?"

Rummy looked towards Riley. "Do I gotta tell her?"

"Naw, man." He pat Rummy's shoulder. "Don' even worry bout it."

"Let's get ready, then." Huey loaded another gun, his face serious. "We've got five minutes." He picked up one last weapon before walking out the room, Riley, Ed, and Rummy filing behind him. I bit my lip, staring at Caesar.

"Is there another way?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. He looked at me. "For Huey to destroy the place and live?" I closed my eyes. "Is there any other way?"

Caesar sighed, closing his eyes as well. He took my hand, giving me a sad look.

"No." He shook his head. "There isn't."

I felt my face crumple, and Caesar hugged me, his chin on the top of my head. Behind me, I heard heavy footsteps come back into the room, then stop. I could practically feel a pair of dark eyes staring into the back of my head, followed by an exasperated sigh.

"That's why I wasn't going to tell you guys."

I looked behind me to Huey, who was leaning against the doorway, his arms folded over his chest. I made a face.

"What did you expect me to do, throw a damn party?" I glared at him. "You're not going to come out of this alive and I'm supposed to be okay with that?!"

"Of course not." Huey shut his eyes, taking a breath. "I'm barely okay with it. I wouldn't expect you to be."

I looked away.

"I want to say this now, because I don't know if I'll be able to later." Huey took a step forward, straightening. I couldn't help but stare at him; his deep, perceptive eyes, his rich brown skin, his toned muscles. He'd always been mature for his age, but that didn't mean I hadn't witnessed him grow up. It was as if I was committing him to memory, as if this would be the last time I'd seen him alive, just like this.

"You and Caesar have always been there for me when no one else was," He said carefully, looking from me to his best friend. I could feel Caesar tensing behind me. "I appreciate everything you both have done for me. You're both two of the smartest, craziest, most loyal people I know. And I'm glad I got to."

"Oh, my god," I choked, trying not to cry. I couldn't help myself; I ran up to him, throwing myself into his chest and wrapping my arms around his neck, full out crying. What a baby. I felt him pat my back, which only made me cry harder.

"If there's another way," I managed through my tears. "Where you can get out of there, if there's _any _kind of way…your ass better find it." I lifted my head, glaring at him. "You'd better do everything you can to get back to us."

He nodded.

"Promise me."

"Cin-"

"_Promise me_."

He sighed. "Fine." He rolled his eyes. "I promise."

I nodded, stepping back and wiping my eyes. To both he and Caesar's surprise I reached onto the bed, grabbing a gun of my own and putting it in my vest.

"Alright." I shrugged, walking past Huey. "Let's go."

* * *

_December 31, 2022  
Jazmine_

It was midnight.

When one of the guards came to check in the cell, making what I suspected to be a nightly round, I heard Fender whistle. Instantly I let myself drop in the far corner of the cell, slumping on the ground and closing my eyes.

"Hey! Hey!" Hollywood was yelling, his heavy footsteps hurrying towards the door. "Help! Shortcake ain't breathin!"

I swallowed before taking a deep breath, holding it and falling as still as possible. I heard the cell door quickly open, a new set of footsteps rushing towards me. "What happened? What's wrong?" The guard's gruff voice asked. Commie chuckled.

"What's wrong is that you's a dumbass!" He laughed. As soon as I heard a quick scuffle, followed by a loud groan and a slump I opened my eyes, spotting the guard lying unconscious beside me. I sat up and Hollywood helped me to my feet.

"Nice acting, Shortcake."

"Nice right hook."

Buckshot went into his pocket, retrieving a set of keys and jingling them in his hand. "Let's move!"

The five of us pushed into the hallway, which was still calm. We knew it wouldn't be that way for long.

"Tyler has shut off all the security cameras in this part," Commie explained quietly as we crept down the hallway, towards the end of the corridor. "We're going to open as many cells as possible. There's seven chambers and twenty cells in each, which means there's at least one hundred and forty people we need to bust out. Maybe more, maybe less." He peeked through the door to make sure the coast was clear. "We're splitting up. Tyler's going to come down the stairs to chamber three with another set of keys so that he can open the cells in one to three. I've got four to six." He handed me my own set of keys. "And as requested, Fender is going to release the prisoners of chamber seven."

"Thank you." He took the keys from him, nodding.

"Shortcake, you said you wanted to get the ampscine. The control room is in chamber seven as well, so you go with Fender. After you get it, you set the self destruct sequence and get the hell out. Understand me?" He leveled me with a glare. "Under no circumstance do you stay."

I nodded again.

"Good." Commie nodded towards us all. "Good luck, everyone."

We all gave each other a final nod, and then we were off.

* * *

_Huey_

"Shit."

Caesar glanced towards me from out spot behind the wall of an overpass that passed in front of the Pentagon. Even from far away the building was massive. Up close it was practically a maze. "What?" He asked as I listened to the sounds that were emitting into my ear from Jazmine's chip.

"They're trying to bust out themselves now."

Caesar gave me a look. "Isn't that good?"

"Well, yeah." I glanced back at him. "They're trying to release all the prisoners, that way there's so much chaos going on they don't know who to go for. Which makes it even easier for us to get in. But at the same time, it's going to make it even harder for us to find her. She's going to be somewhere in chamber seven."

Caesar groaned, unfolding a map from his back pocket. "Not only is that the furthest away from the exit, but it's probably got the most security. Apparently something important is down there." He glanced down at it.

"Must be the ampscine," I mumbled. I stopped as I listened on to the conversation and felt my heart stop."Damn it!"

"Now what?"

"It's Jazmine." I glared at him. "She's going to try and destroy the Pentagon."

Caesar's eyes widened. He shook his head and let out a low whistle.

"Wow. You two _do _think a lot alike."

I rolled my eyes, ignoring him. "None of them even know that once it's set there's not enough time to get out the building from the control room. There's only one way in and one way out. I've got to find her before she-"

"It's midnight," Cindy interjected out of nowhere, running towards us and crouching down as well. "Riley, Rummy and Ed are near the west perimeter. Two more groups are at the northern and southern borders. One group's at the eastern wall and they're waiting on you. Cairo and Maya are in Maryland"

"Fine." I nodded. "Thanks." Caesar folded the map up again, putting it in his back pocket. "We've got to go in from their basement level. I have a feeling that if we tried to go in anywhere at ground level that the alarms would go off faster than-" I stopped, holding my hand to my ear as I heard a shrill, high pitched alarm begin to sound through the earpiece. "Nevermind."

"Well, there's a diversion." Caesar jumped to his feet and I followed suit. "Ready when you are."

"Cindy." I pointed to her. "Go to the western border with Riley. _Be careful_." She nodded, hugging me one last time before glancing towards Caesar, biting her lip. She looked at me and I rolled my eyes, rubbing my forehead with the barrel of my gun.

"Just hurry up."

Cindy threw herself into Caesar's arms, her lips crashing against his as if there was no tomorrow. I tapped my foot patiently, looking at my watch. After a good minute I smacked Caesar in the back of the head.

"Ouch! Okay." He let Cindy go with reluctance, touching her nose. "I love you."

"I love you, too," She whispered. "I'll see you soon." She turned around and took off, running towards the tall structure. I glanced towards Caesar.

"If you want to take the west wing with her-"

"No." He clapped my shoulder. "I've got your back."

I nodded. "Then let's go."

* * *

_Jazmine_

_Run_.

That was all my brain could process when I heard the alarm, which seemed to go off as soon as Hollywood and I made it to chamber seven. It was a lot deeper into the building than either of us had anticipated. "Go go go!" He yelled at me as he immediately started unlocking a cell. I froze, uncertain as to if I should leave him.

"No!" I hissed. "I'm one of you, remember?"

"Of course, Shortcake!" He yelled back, opening the cell door and waving to the people that were inside. "But your job is bigger than us. You can't get captured! Now get going!"

I turned on my heel, sprinting down the long corridor and ignoring the burning sensation in my ribs. I could hear footsteps, no doubt some of the newly escaped prisoners, following me. I pulled on the door on the opposite end of the hall, which luckily was unlocked. I threw it open and gasped.

The room was full of uniformed guards, who were all rising out of their chairs. I looked behind me to see about ten other prisoners, staring at me with mixtures of confusion, terror, and anger on their faces. I swallowed.

"Should…we run the other way?"

"Fuck that!" One of the prisoners, a man, yelled. "I've waited for this chance for too long."

I gasped as everyone suddenly started yelling, rushing past me into the room and launching themselves at their captors. The guards all gasped in surprise, but reacted quickly. Instead of staying to see how it would end I closed the door, heading down another hallway to try and find the ampscine.

Marilyn George had obviously known about the intentions of the Department of Defense, since she'd built an entire system set on destroying it. If the ampscine was the key to destroying it and saving millions of lives, then I'd do it, even if I lost my own life in the process.

I wouldn't have much time to live, regardless.

I skidded around the corner, running smack into Tyler. He grabbed my shoulders, steadying me and pulling me in the opposite direction.

"You…might not want to go that way."

Sure enough, I could hear gunshots beginning to sound. I ran with him back in the direction we'd come from, sighing.

"Thanks." I panted. He looked towards me.

"Don't mention it."

By now most of the cells in chamber seven were unlocked and prisoners were running in every direction. Tyler pulled on my sleeve, leading me to what seemed to be a plain section of wall…until he tapped it twice. Suddenly it was opening, revealing a long, narrow, dimly lit tunnel. He gestured towards it.

"Ladies first."

I stepped inside of it and he came in next, closing the entrance behind us. I squeezed against the wall so that he could get in front of me and followed him as we jogged through the passageway.

"There's another way to get into the control room besides chamber seven," He said, looking down another passageway that crossed the one we were in. Apparently there was an entire network of hallways in between the walls. It was enough to blow your mind. "The best time to get in is while all these people are still running around everywhere. It's a good distraction." He glanced towards me. "That's the good news."

I stopped, leaning against a wall to try an catch my breath. "The bad news?" I managed in between breaths. He shook his head, swallowing.

"There's only a five second period when you activate the self destruct switch."

My jaw dropped. "Then, we've got to get everybody out of here!"

"And how are we supposed to do that?" He asked. I threw up my hands.

"The hell if I know!" I shook my head. "But we can't just kill-" I cut off as I felt a sudden pain flare up at the base of my neck. "Oh, no."

"What?" Tyler asked. I shook my head, closing my eyes and wincing. He caught on quick. "Shit." I opened my eyes, gritting my teeth. "Do you need to sit down?"

"No."

"But-"

"There's no _time_-" I managed, feeling the pain spread down to my shoulders. I shook my head, taking a step forward. "I'm fine. Let's go."

He looked reluctant, but continued running in front of me. I followed him, focusing on every breath, every heartbeat.

I hoped that wherever Huey and the others may be, they weren't anywhere near here.

* * *

_Huey_

"Get those niggas!"

Well. _That _was a pleasant greeting.

When our group of twenty people, led by Caesar and I, had burst through the windows on the first floor of the Pentagon (the alarms were already going off so being sneaky was basically out of the question) and taken the elevators down to the underground, we'd known that things would be upside down. But we didn't know it would be _this _bad.

When the doors had opened, we'd been greeted by a good forty people running for their lives, guards chasing after them. There were guns. There was screaming. There were people getting shoved against the wall and cuffed, beat over the head with nightsticks…and when the guards' eyes fell on us, they all froze, the wailing of the alarms loud enough to make my ears bleed. I rolled my eyes.

_"Fuck-"_

"Freeze!" The guards roared, pointing their guns at us. Caesar and I exchanged amused glanced and smirked, turning back towards them and whipping our own guns out our vests. The rest of our group did the same. The guards' jaws dropped.

Then, it was on.

"Get out the way!" I roared towards the prisoners as bullets began spraying everywhere. I dived to the ground, rolling over and leaping behind a wall that led down to another chamber. A sign further down the hallway read _Chamber Two_. "Caesar!"

"Coming!" He yelled, hitting one of the guards in the back of the throat with his elbow and causing him to collapse instantly. He ran towards me, panting slightly. A few members of ours ran after us, while the shooting went on in the main hallway. "Damn! This place is crazy!"

"It's going to make finding her a lot harder," I replied, stopping when we got to the entrance to the second chamber. I backed up and swung around, kicking the door off the hinges so that it flew forward, dropping heavily on the concrete floor and sliding a few feet down the hallway. Unlike the first chamber had been the second one was so quiet and still it was unnerving. I reloaded my gun as we headed towards the opposite end of the chamber. "We've gotta-"

Gunshots suddenly sounded from behind us, making us all scatter. I flattened myself against the wall, aiming towards one of the four guards that had followed us. He ducked out of the way, taking aim again. Caesar aimed at him, pulling the trigger and hitting him square in the chest. He fell onto his knees, dropping his gun. Adrianne, one of the girls in our group, aimed at another one of the guards, who dodged her bullet and sent one of his own towards her. I pushed her out of the way so that we both fell against the wall and shot at him, hitting him in the neck. He dropped his gun and clasped his throat, tumbling to the ground and gurgling. I winced, turning away and helping her to her feet.

"Thanks."

"Do you hear anything?" Caesar asked. I put a hand to my earpiece, shaking my head.

"No. There must be interference." I sighed, shaking my head. "Come on."

Chamber three was a little more difficult to find. Since the chambers weren't all side by side and required going through certain hallways and corridors to get to them we wound up splitting up, Caesar and I getting to the third chamber after a quick two minutes of confusion. When we burst in there we saw that unlike the other two chambers, people were still in cells.

"What's going on?" One of them asked as we walked past, a guy that was probably our age. His eyes were wide. Others came to their cell doors as well, looking through the small, square windows. I raised an eyebrow.

"Wasn't someone supposed to come release you?" I asked, thinking back to the conversation I'd heard through Jazmine chip. In another cell, a woman shrugged.

"We thought so. A blond guy with keys came through, but then he just disappeared through some hole in the wall."

"In the wall…?" Caesar and I glanced around the dimly lit white walls, staring at each other.

"It would explain the interference," Caesar pointed out. I nodded, turning back to them.

"Where exactly did he disappear?" I asked. The guy pointed towards a spot and I followed his finger.

"Around there."

Caesar walked towards it, running his hand along the surface. "How do we open it?" He asked aloud.

"Um, you're not going to leave us here, are you?" The woman asked. I shook my head, pulling a knife out my pocket.

"No." I opened it, putting the blade into the lock of the first cell and pressed a button, a laser shooting from out the handle along the tip of the knife, breaking the inside of the lock so that the entire thing collapsed. I pulled open the cell door, ignoring the cheering that came from the now free prisoners as I started for the second door.

"There's a lot of conflict in the entry hall, so be careful!" I yelled to the escaping people. The man nodded, giving me a mock salute before turning back around and disappearing around the corner. "Caesar, did you find it?"

"Nope."

The second door opened, and I went to the third one. Just as I got to it, a loud siren suddenly went off.

_"Intruders," _An automated voice rang. _"Intruders in the first chamber, third chamber, fourth chamber, sixth chamber-"_

"Shit!" Caesar yelled. I rose to my feet, running to the wall to try and help find the entrance.

"Wait!" The woman, along with the rest of the chamber, yelled. "Please, come back!"

"We'll get you out!" I vowed, hearing footsteps that were growing closer and closer. "I promise." Suddenly, the brick under my hand sank into the wall and caused a cluster of bricks to swing inward like some sort of door. Wasting no time Caesar and I hopped inside, pushing the door shut. We sighed, leaning against the narrow walls.

"Alright." He wiped his hands on his black jeans, letting out a low, long whistle. "Where do we go from here?"

I started to respond, but stopped when we both heard an all too familiar scream fill the passageway.

* * *

_  
-Kelsey_


	28. Chapter Twenty Seven

_Woo! Alright, party people. Let me start by saying writing this chapter was probably one of the most fun ones to do. However, it was also the most emotional. The only reason I feel confident about it is because it made ME cry. Not that I make it my mission in life to make people cry, but if it makes you cry, you'd better tell me. I'd love to know (not to laugh at you (much)). _

_So, thank you to XONewDreamsXO and AyisienneCat17 for the reviews! And now, here's chapter twenty-seven._

_Disclaimer: I don't own the Boondocks. _

* * *

Old Soul

Chapter Twenty-Seven

_"When the story of these times gets written, we want it to say that we did all we could, and it was more than anyone could have imagined."  
-Bono_

* * *

_February 10, 2016  
Huey_

_I barely noticed the rain._

_It came down in torrents; relentless as the cold front that had come in three days ago, the day of my sixteenth birthday. I could barely remember it. I could barely remember anything. Not that it mattered. Nothing mattered anymore._

_I could handle racism. I could tackle politics. Yet somewhere along the line I'd missed the lesson on how to grieve._

_I sat with my back to the door, staring up into the dark gray sky and letting the rain run down my body. I was shivering, but I told myself it was from the cold. My eyes were running as freely as a waterfall, but I told myself it was the rain. My fingertips were numb, along with my arms, my ears, my nose, which was probably why the normal person didn't go outside in only a t shirt and some sweatpants in February. Not in Illinois, anyways._

_I didn't know how long she'd been standing there but when I lowered my face back down from the sky it was her face I saw, her own eyes filled with tears. Her hands were tucked in a black sweatshirt, her hair limp and soaked. She blinked at me through the rain, watching me. Waiting for me to turn her away or let her stay. I shrugged, looking away, not wanting her to see my red rimmed eyes but not caring much at the same time._

_It didn't matter that our friendship had been rocky since her mother's death. It didn't matter that there was something there, something that blurred the lines of friendship and romance until they were intangible. She crouched down beside me, wrapping her arms around my shoulders and pulling me into her embrace. I wrapped my own arms around her waist, resting my head on her shoulder as she took on the role I'd always played for her. In our six years of friendship, I'd never needed someone to comfort me. It was weird, in a way._

_She smoothed her fingertips over my shaking shoulders, sniffling as well. We held on to each other as if we could shut the rest of the world, the suffering, out. We supported each other as if we were all we had._

_And maybe, in a way, in _this _way, we were._

_"Does it get better?" I mumbled more to myself than anyone, so quietly that the rain overpowered it. I felt her tense, could hear her heartbeat beneath my ear._

_"Maybe one day." She paused. "The world keeps turning. It doesn't give you much of a choice other than to move on."_

_Even through my sadness I could appreciate her words. She was maturing, each and every day. I shut my eyes, trying to stop the flood of tears. I heard her, felt her, take a deep breath._

_"Where will you go?"_

_I swallowed. "Chicago."_

_She fell silent again. I felt her arms slightly tighten around me._

_"Are you safe?"_

_I sighed. How was I supposed to know? I'd thought we were. But if we were my grandad would still be here with us. I wouldn't be here on this doorstep, at this moment, trying to learn how to grieve. "I don't know."_

_The rain continued to fall, the wind whistled on around us._

_"I want to go." Her voice was soft. "To Chicago."_

_I shook my head. "That makes no sense."_

_"I know." Her voice dropped. "Neither does you leaving me."_

_I sat up, appraising her. She blinked back at me, her eyes sad yet holding a determined look I never knew she was capable of having. I shook my head._

_"Don't say that." I hated how weak, how broken my voice sounded. "Please."_

_She nodded, looking to her sneakers. I looked in the opposite direction before tilting my head towards the sky and closing my eyes._

_"You're going to get sick." I didn't even need to see her to know that she was frowning at me. "You should go."_

_I really didn't want her seeing me like this._

_I heard a sigh. "No."_

_I opened my eyes, looked at her. I couldn't bring myself to yell. I couldn't force myself to get angry at her resistance and force her away. I wasn't even sure if I really wanted her to go. Not when our time was so limited._

_"Just _go_."_

_Her eyes narrowed into tiny green slits. "_No_."_

_I shook my head, looking away. My shoulders were beginning to shake all over again. Damn. I heard her scoot closer, felt her arms around me again._

_"It's okay to cry," She said quietly, resting her head on my shoulder. She paused. "Even for you."_

_I swallowed, feeling another wave of grief wash over me. Instead of trying to fight it I gave in, slumping into her embrace and burying my face in my hands. She sighed, lifted her head. _

_"I'll always be there for you," She whispered, barely heard over the rain. "Always."_

_I remembered all the same times I'd said those words to her. I wondered if she was telling the truth._

_

* * *

_

_December 31, 2022  
Cairo_

"Alright!" I barely heard Casey's voice over the noise of the helicopter wings. I strained to make out his words. "We're over DC! We're going to have to circle around a bit until they call us down!"

"Can't we just wait over the _ground_?" Maya squeaked, looking a bit green. I shook my head, staring down at the lights spread below us. Somewhere down there, everyone was fighting a battle that was unknown to the rest of the world. Somewhere, people were dying.

"Need a bucket?" I heard Casey ask. Maya shook her head. I looked at her and she looked at me, and for just a moment things felt a little calmer. She straightened.

And then there was a loud, frantic beeping that made both of us jump. Maya screamed and Casey rolled his eyes, reaching for some kind of walkie-talkie looking device.

"Relax, kids!" He yelled before pressing a red button on the side, holding it up to his mouth. "Hello!"

"Aye!" I heard Riley's voice crackle back and couldn't help but burst out laughing; on my other side Maya managed to crack a smile. "Where y'all niggas at?"

"We in the air!" I shouted, making Casey roll his eyes. "Where the hell did you think we were?"

"You don gotta get smart." I heard Riley suck his teeth. "I was gon tell yo ass to land in fifteen minutes. We'll get you sum more instructions afta that."

"Alright." Casey took his finger off the button and sat back in his chair, propping his feet up on the dashboard. I wondered if that was safe, considering all the buttons and knobs beneath his feet. "Looks like we've got some time to kill."

"I just want to get down already," Maya moaned, covering her mouth with her hands. I shook my head and Casey looked at me.

"Feel like circling us?"

I nodded, taking hold of the controls and giving Maya another concerned look. "Are you going to be ok-"

She nodded hurriedly.

"Alright." I began to turn the helicopter around, flying low enough to see the ground but high enough where we wouldn't be spotted. "Fifteen minutes."

* * *

_Jazmine_

I'd thought I could handle it. I was wrong.

"Jazmine!" I could feel Tyler shaking me, trying to get my attention, but I was too out of it for his voice to even register. Instead I focused on breathing, my muscles all feeling as if they were ripping and constricting underneath my skin. I let out another wail before I could stop myself, hugging myself at the middle and bending over, my knees on the ground. "Come on! I know it hurts, but-"

"You _don't _know!" I managed between clenched teeth, feeling my molars grind together. "You…don't _know _how this f-feels-" I pressed my lips together, resting my forehead on the ground and trying to slow my erratic breathing. "Oh, my…god…" I let out a scream, this one much louder. I was trying to stop, I didn't want to give us away. But right then I couldn't focus on anything other than the return of the pain that had attacked me earlier that day. If living was going to be like this for the rest of my life, it might've been a good thing I was dying. I felt Tyler's hands remove themselves from my sweaty shoulders and swallowed, my heart feeling like it was rattling in my chest.

"I'm going to pick you up, alright?" I heard his uncertain voice loom over my head. "We're got to find you medicine. You can't just go to the control room like this-"

I screamed again, cutting myself off when I brought my hands up to cover my mouth. I let out a small sob, which only managed to get worse when Tyler tried to pick me up.

"Don't touch me!" I cried. He jumped back as if I burned him. I rolled onto my hand and knees, trying to get a grip and failing miserably. "Just _go_."

"Jaz-"

"Just let me die!" I shouted before another wave of pain took over and I clenched my fists together, tying to breathe through it. My face felt damp from the hot tears that were falling down my face. "Please-"

"Just-" Whatever Tyler was about to say didn't get out for whatever reason since he cut off abruptly. I heard his tone change. "Who the hell are you?"

"_Me_?" An all too familiar voice asked in response, filled with disdain. "Who the hell are you?"

_Huey? _It couldn't be.

"What's wrong with her?" I heard another voice that sounded strangely like Caesar ask; his tone was sharp. There was a quick rustling sound, followed by a yelp on Tyler's part and the click of a gun.

"What the hell did you do to her?" Huey snarled. I groaned, not moving an inch.

"Nothing!" I felt them all freeze and clenched my teeth again, sucking in as much air as possible. "He didn't do any-" I shut my eyes, shaking. "Ow!"

I felt a pair of different hands grab me, and then my head was against Huey's chest. "What is it?" He asked in a low voice, smoothing my hair. I shook my head, trying to focus on breathing, which was a bit harder due to the building excitement of seeing him again. I heard Tyler clear his throat.

"She's-"

"Uh uh." Huey pointed towards the boy, making him fall silent. "I don't want to hear anything from you."

"He's-" Huey looked down towards me again, his eyes softening. "He's fine. He's on our side."

Caesar, who was standing a few feet away, looked suspiciously towards Tyler, but nodded towards him. I gripped Huey's collar, shutting my eyes again and bracing myself.

"What's going on?" He asked, his voice a bit kinder…but not by much. I heard Tyler shift.

"It's something she was injected with…I don't know what it is." He took a breath. "It's going to-"

"_Don't_." I shook my head. I didn't want them to know I was going to die.

"It's going to _what_?" Huey demanded.

"I said _don't_!" I yelled, wincing and letting out another groan. Luckily, Tyler caught on.

"It activates her pain receptors," He said slowly. I took a deep breath, biting my lip to keep from crying out again. Huey's arms subconsciously tightened around me. "Her muscles absorbed it so it's reoccurring."

"How often?" He asked.

"We don't know. It's random. Jazmine." I lifted my head. "When's the last time this happened?"

I swallowed, taking a few good breaths to make sure the pain wasn't going to come back before responding. "It's only the second time."

"So that's why you were screaming earlier," Caesar assessed. We all looked at him. "Well, you sounded the way you did a couple minutes ago! Nearly made me deaf."

"You heard me?" I asked, my voice raspy. Huey reached to the base of my neck, pulling something out my hair and waving it in my face. It was the chip.

"Your memory sure is sharp."

Despite the situation I couldn't help but give him a shaky smile. "Shut up." He closed his palm over it, putting it in his pocket. It was Tyler's turn to be wary.

"So who are you again?" He asked.

"Don't worry." I gave Huey a soft smile, resting my hand on his cheek. "He's a good guy."

"Um, he's not the only one here, you know!" Caesar said loudly. I snorted.

"Hello, Caesar."

He nodded. "_Thank _you."

"Alright." Huey stood up, picking me up with him. I wrapped my arms around his neck, trying not to be clingy but at the same time not wanting to let go of him. "Thanks to your insane screaming we found you, but now I've got to find the ampscine."

I frowned, shaking my head. "Nooo," I said slowly. He looked at me. "I was going to go get it."

He raised an eyebrow. "That's what you call what you were doing?"

"Not funny." I shifted. "Seriously. You can't go. It has to be me."

"And why is that?" His voice was void of all humor and his eyebrows narrowed. Mine did as well.

"Because! It just…does. Okay?"

"Of course." He snorted. "That was _very _convincing."

Tyler looked at Caesar, who rolled his eyes. "Here they go," He mumbled.

"Stop it." I glared at him. "I'm the one who knows how to use it."

"You're not the only one," Huey countered. "We came all this way to save you. Do you really think I'd just let you go jeopardize your life like that?"

"What about yours?" I pointed out.

"What about it?"

"Don't be _stupid_!"

"Me? You're being as stupid as I am, apparently."

"I won't let you give yourself up like that," I said fiercely. "Not when one of us is already in the red."

He raised an eyebrow. "What did you say?"

Oops.

"Alright, stop!" Tyler shouted, waving his hands. Both of us looked at him. "Look, we've got to get moving. We'll go to the seventh chamber and-"

"No." Huey's voice was firm. "Jazmine's not going there. She's getting out."

"Bullshit!" I yelled. "How can you just decide for me like that-"

"Because you're the one who has a condition that none of us know anything about!" Huey snapped back. "Who knows when it's going to act up again?"

"I'm _fine_-"

"Yeah, for now!"

"Guys!" Caesar pinched the bridge of his nose, glaring at us. "Okay. Jazmine, do you want me to get you out of here?"

"NO." I gave Huey a look. "Not without him."

Huey sucked his teeth. Tyler nodded. Caesar shrugged, looking towards his best friend.

"She doesn't want it, Huey." He moved past us, towards Tyler. "I guess she's coming with us."

I smirked towards Huey, who rolled his eyes. "Whatever." Tyler waved us closer to the end of the tunnel and Caesar walked up to him. Huey lowered my feet to the ground and the two of us caught up to them as well. The four of us paused and Huey and Caesar began reloading their guns. Tyler looked impressed.

"So…you got an extra one?"

Huey snorted. "Not for you."

"Come on, man!" Caesar shook his head, tossing one to Tyler, who caught it. "He's not the most trusting guy, as you can already tell."

Huey glowered at him. "And you _are _the most trusting one, apparently." He held a gun out towards me and I shook my head. He sighed.

"You don't _have_ to useit on anyone." He knew that I was thinking about Duey. "It's just in case you _need _to. Just take it." I wavered. He gave me a look. "For me."

I was such a sucker. I sighed, taking it and wrinkling my nose. "Ah. Thanks."

He messed with his own weapon. "Don't mention it."

"Alright." Tyler turned to us. "The control room is going to be three hallways away. We're going to get out the tunnel, take the hallway straight down. We're going to make a left and take that hall down. We're going to make another left, then a sharp right. When we do that, we're going to reach a vault. The control room's through there. The ampscine's there, but Addison probably will be as well."

Caesar and Huey nodded. I swallowed.

"I'm willing to bet that at least half of the prisoners are still in here," He went on. "Jazmine, if you're going to destroy the place, you're going to have to give a warning period. Because once it detonates, there's only that five second space."

"Okay."

"Whoa whoa, hold up." Huey held up a hand. "Excuse me?" He glared at me. "Since when were you planning to just _blow yourself up_?"

"Maybe around the same time you started thinking the same thing," Caesar pointed out. My eyes widened. "Told you, man. Great minds think alike." He scratched his head. "That or stupid minds think alike…"

"You're _not_-" He started, but I shook my head.

"Fine." I nodded. "Alright. I won't."

He looked so surprised that I'd given up without a fight that his jaw slightly dropped. Within a second he closed his mouth again and nodded. "Alright. Caesar." Caesar looked to him. "When we get to the vault, you and Jazmine take the exact same way we left back. Cairo and Maya should be here by then. I'm going to do the warning and give everyone two minutes to get out. I want you to let me know when everyone, including Riley and Cindy, get out. Then, I'll set it." He glared at him. "Get as far away as possible."

"What about me?" Tyler asked. Huey's nose wrinkled.

"Do whatever you want. I don't know you."

"Huey!" I shook my head. "Rude?"

He sighed. "Sorry." He shrugged. "You get out, too. Better yet, go release the prisoners from Chamber three and _then_get out."

"Ah!" Tyler smacked his palm against his forehead. "I knew I was forgetting something!"

"And Jazmine." I turned to look at him. He sighed, closing his eyes. "For what I'm going to do…" He swallowed. "I'm sorry."

I nodded, biting my lip. "I understand."

We stared at each other. For a moment I forgot everything else that was going on, feeling myself drown in his dark amber eyes. I took his hands in mine, trying not to cry. I heard Caesar clear his throat.

"You can kiss her if you want."

Huey looked at him. "Shut up."

I felt the last of the pain ebb away and straightened, wrapping my arms around him. I buried my head in his neck, closing my eyes and trying to hold on to him, to this moment, for as long as possible. He held me as well, and I had a feeling he was doing the same thing.

I couldn't believe that after everything we'd been through, I was about to lose him. I tried to calm the pain that was searing in my chest that had nothing to do with the injection. It was as if my heart was already beginning to crack, breaking off piece by piece. After what seemed like hours, he pulled away.

"We've got to move."

I nodded, wiping the corner of my eye. I was trying to be strong but god, it hurt so bad…

"I love you," I said, glancing over my shoulder at him. I didn't need him to say it back. I just needed him to know.

Especially for when he saw what I was going to do.

* * *

_Huey_

When the exit to the seventh chamber opened, we didn't hesitate to start running.

Tyler led, with Jazmine and Caesar behind him and me bringing up the rear.

_Take the hallway straight down_.

"Where is everyone?" Caesar panted as we neared the end of the hallway. Tyler shrugged.

"I don't know man, but don't jinx it!"

_Make a left and take that hall down._

We turned, rushing past open doors and empty, silent cells. Something didn't feel right. I shook my head, passing it off as nerves. I could feel my adrenaline rushing, my blood surging in my veins. It was funny how when one was faced with death, it was the most alive they'd ever felt.

_Make another left, then a sharp right-_

"Get down!" Caesar suddenly yelled, pushing Jazmine aside and ducking. I dropped as well and Tyler slumped against the wall as a series of gunshots went off, bullets spraying past us. I sprang to my feet, Caesar following suit.

"Stay there!" I demanded, pointing to Jazmine as we ran towards the five gunmen. I heard her footsteps behind me and rolled my eyes. Did that girl _ever _listen to me?

I aimed at the one on the far left, kicking the guy in front of me square in the chest. Caesar jumped aside, narrowly being missed by the third guy, who I promptly shot in the head. Another guy jumped at me, his foot crashing down towards me. I jumped back, landing on my hands and knees before springing forward again, my foot sweeping underneath his legs and knocking him down. The guy I'd kicked before jumped up and Caesar aimed at him, but missed. The guard whipped around, aiming at me.

_BANG_

He fell to the ground and I looked behind me to see Tyler blowing on the barrel of his gun, raising his eyebrow. I rolled my eyes.

"Fine." I shook my head. "I guess you_ are _trustworthy."

I looked up as three more guards came running, catching us all off guard except for Jazmine, who instinctively raised her gun and took aim.

_BANG BANG BANG._

All three of them fell. My eyes widened and I stared at her. She looked stunned.

"Where the hell did that come from?"

"You didn't see them. I did." She shrugged, shaking her head and looking to be fighting back tears. "I'm sure I'll hate myself for that later. But for now let's just get out of here."

I nodded, the four of us taking off again.

_We're going to reach a vault. The control room's right through there._

We skidded around the corner, then froze. My jaw dropped.

"Oh." Caesar gulped. "So _this _is where everyone's been hiding."

The hallway was crowded with a good twenty to thirty guards. They regarded us coolly, obviously feeling superior since we were outnumbered. I glanced at them, calculating. They seemed to be doing the same thing.

"Thirty one of them, four of us…seven to one, eight to three," I mumbled under my breath. I glanced around the walls, examined the space…I nodded.

"Hard." I stepped to the front of the group, Caesar at my right. "But doable."

"What?" Jazmine whispered, looking as if she were trying not to make any sudden movements. I shook my head, smirking.

"Take your pick."

"You will not pass." One of the guards, holding what looked to be a long taser, stepped forward. The others seemed to circle around him. I looked. Other than him and a few others, none of them had any weapons. Even the ones who had weapons didn't have guns. Caesar noticed as well.

"We aren't killers," He mumbled. I nodded, peeling off my coat. I took off my vest, dropping it to the ground and kicking it behind me. Caesar did the same. Tyler and Jazmine stared at us, dumbfounded. Caesar and I both threw the guns we'd been holding behind us as well, putting our hands in the air.

Now Tyler looked _really _confused

"What are you doing?" He hissed. Jazmine, however, seemed to have caught on. In the corner of my eye I noticed her raise her hands as well, her feet falling into a stance. As planned, eight of the guards came over and surrounded us, cuffs in their hands.

"Now!" I yelled.

Caesar punched one of them in the face, spinning around and kicking another. I did the same. Behind us Jazmine elbowed one in the neck before stomping on his foot and shoving him into another one of the confused guards. The remaining two charged towards us; Caesar blocked one of their hits and hit him in the gut, then the jaw. Tyler, catching on sooner than later, struck one of them in the side of the neck before kicking him into the wall. The remaining guards' eyes widened, and before I could breathe they were all rushing towards us, circling the four of us. Caesar laughed.

"This is going to be one to tell the children."

I shook my head, falling into a stance. The guards began striking at us. I jumped back, launching myself off the side of the wall and kicking two of them down. Caesar tackled one of them, hitting the guy's head on the stone floor before doing a handspring and burying both his feet into another guard. I looked for Jazmine, who, to my surprise, was giving a roundhouse kick to one guard before spinning around and blocking another's multiple strikes. Instead of aiming a punch she lunged forward, stabbing her index finger into the side of his neck, then his collarbone, finally jabbing his side. He gasped and fell over, paralyzed.

"Where the hell did you learn _that_?" I asked, blocking one of the guard's punches and kicking him in the knee, grabbing his collar and throwing him into the opposite wall. Another guard threw himself at her and she ducked, straightening after he'd sailed over her head.

"Well…I kind of had to learn it the hard way."

Caesar and Tyler backed towards me, Jazmine doing the same. The four of us stood back to back, glaring at the good eighteen to twenty people who weren't yet down for the count. From the direction we'd come I heard more footsteps.

_Shit_.

I looked up to see four huge, bulky men burst into the room, their fists clenched. Jazmine perked up and grinned.

"Commie!" She yelled. "Fender!"

"Shortcake!" The four men chorused. I raised an eyebrow.

"_Shortcake_?"

"Whoa!" One of them, one with an afro, pointed towards me. "Is that the boyfriend?"

I felt my face heat up. Jazmine's own cheeks turned pink.

"Maybe."

"Um, hello?" Tyler gestured around us. "We have a situation here?"

"Right!" The biggest one, probably the leader, stepped up. He glared at the guards, who seemed considerably less confident than before. "So y'all messin with Shortcake and her friends?"

Shortcake. Even under these circumstances I had to admit that was a tad bit cute. Kind of.

"Get back to your cells!" The head guard demanded, as if they'd seriously just go prancing back into captivity. One of the guys cracked their knuckles.

"Let's do this!" He yelled. The four of them ran towards us, the guards all bracing themselves. It was as if with four additional people they didn't know who to look out for.

I liked these odds.

"Move!" Tyler yelled, and the four of us threw ourselves into the fray. Throughout the chaos I heard a loud laugh, then looked up from crashing two guards' heads together to see Addison standing in front of the vault, his hand on the door. He pressed a button, and there was a loud alarm, this one considerably different than the last. I saw Jazmine look up.

"What's that?" I hollered to Tyler, who had frozen. He gasped.

"He's sealing the building!" He pointed over my head and I saw a gray, steel gate lowering from the ceiling.

"Addison's trying to stop us from getting to the ampscine!" I yelled. Even as the fighting went on I managed to catch Jazmine's eye. I felt my heart pounding in my chest as she glanced towards the descending gate. She looked back at me.

I knew what she was about to do, even before she did.

"No!" I shouted, leaping over a guard. Jazmine was too fast; she'd gotten around me and was racing top speed towards the gate, which had almost reached the ground. I pushed after her, ignoring the fighting, the shouts, and the noise from behind me. "Jazmine! Stop!"

She didn't listen. As the gate reached the ground she slid on her heels, dropping to the ground and grabbing the bottom of it with both hands, throwing herself underneath it to the other side. I reached it just as it hit the ground with a solid, final thud. "No!" I yelled, pounding my fists against it. "Jazmine! JAZMINE!" I slammed my fist into the metal in anger, clenching my fist and closing my eyes as I rested my forehead against it. "GODDAMMIT!"

I turned around just in time to see a guard charging towards me. Filled with anger I grabbed him by his neck, making him drop his taser. I brought his face close to mine, feeling his windpipe constrict underneath my fingers. His eyes widened as I glared into his eyes.

"You'd better get me into that control room _now_," I demanded. "Or I will kill you."

* * *

_Jazmine_

I turned around to see Thomas Addison standing on the opposite end of the massive room, clapping his hands.

Seriously. What was this guy _on_?

"Brilliant." He shook his head, as if impressed. "Excellent job, Ms. Alston."

I closed my eyes, taking a step towards him. "Where is it?" I asked quietly. He feigned confusion.

"Where's what?"

"Don't fuck with me, Addison!" I screamed, angry. My voice echoed through the room. I could see monitor after monitor of various parts of the Pentagon. Various machines beeped and lit up, spread along the walls. A catwalk above our heads had even more machinery. "Tell me where it is, _now_!"

"Hmm. Someone's a little grumpy." Addison shook his head. "Jazmine. If you set to destroy this place, which, I know is your mission, then you'll destroy yourself in the process." He gave me a look. "Is that what you really want?"

"It doesn't matter." I shook my head. "I can't just let you kill innocent people for your personal benefit."

"It won't just be for my benefit." He shrugged. "You could join me."

I didn't even hesitate. "Go to hell."

"Well." Addison began to walk in wide circles, glancing down at the floor. "I see much hasn't changed about you. At least-" He cut his eyes at me. "Not the old Jazmine."

I raised my eyebrow. "You don't know me."

"Don't I, though?" He lifted his head. "Jazmine DuBois, the girl who lost her mother at fifteen and her father at eighteen. She graduated top of her class. She dropped out of school and gave in to depression."

"Stop it." I closed my eyes, clenching my teeth.

"One suicide attempt and three months at a mental hospital tend to change your perspective on life, do they not?" He asked. I blinked back tears. "You may think you're stronger, but I still see the same, weak, foolish child that wouldn't let go of her father's casket at his funeral-"

"Shut UP!" I screamed, crying freely. He regarded me with mock sympathy.

"I lost my parents young," He said, stopping a few feet in front of me and placing his hands behind his back. "I know your pain. To feel that you're alone, that there's nothing else that life can offer you…it's heartbreaking. When you think you've escaped the pain it comes back." He held out a hand. "But Jazmine, it doesn't have to be that way. You can join me. You can find a purpose."

I glared at him through my tears, staring at his calm, peaceful smile that didn't quite reach his cold eyes. I sniffed, taking a step forward. He nodded, reaching still.

"It's alright." I took another step closer. "Just a little closer."

I took another step, swallowing. And then, I whipped my hand out from my side, a gun in my grasp.

His eyes widened. He obviously hadn't expected that.

"Let's get one thing clear," I demanded between clenched teeth, pressing the weapon to his head. "You can't relate to me. At all." My eyes hardened. "You lost your parents. And then you took mine." I closed my eyes, pulling the trigger. "I will _never _forgive you for that!"

_BANG._

He had leaped at me, tackling me to the ground and causing the gun to fall out of my grasp so that it slipped across the floor. He wrapped his hands around my throat and I gasped, trying to buck from underneath him. He laughed, shaking his head.

"You stupid girl!" He yelled as I grabbed his wrists, trying to breathe. "You should've joined me. You could've done great things."

I jerked my knee up and he groaned, falling over. I crawled over to the gun, spinning around with it and aiming again. He jumped out the way, running behind a row of machinery. I shot at him again and missed. Swearing I jumped to my feet, chasing after him. I froze as he spun around, pointing a gun as well.

"This is where it ends!" He shouted, laughing. "So take a bow, Ms.-"

BANG

A red stain spread over his shirt and he looked down, shocked. He fell to his knees, clutching at his chest before dropping face first to the floor. I spun around to see Huey throwing the gun aside, shaking his head. Somehow, he'd gotten in.

"What a nutcase." He looked up at me. I ran to him and threw my arms around his neck. He hugged me back, lifting me off the ground. I sighed as he set me on the ground again, looking around.

"Do you have the ampscine?" He asked. I shook my head.

"I was just getting around to that." I jogged past him, looking on and around the various technologies. I heard him following me.

"Jazmine, you have to get out of here."

I ignored him, still looking.

"Jazmine."

I started for the catwalk, my hand gripping the rail.

"Jazmine!"

"What?" I spun around, glaring. "I'm sorry, Huey, but I'm not leaving! So I suggest you either get out or get used to it."

He blinked, surprised. I was kind of surprised myself. I usually talked that way to other people not him.

"Jazmine." His tone was critical and he took a step towards me. "I can't let you set it off. If you do, you will die."

"Huey!" I half sighed, half yelled. "I'm going to die anyways!"

His eyes widened. I swallowed, blinking back tears.

"I'm dying. Right now." I shook my head. "For you to die for this…it would be so, so stupid. So please." I choked back a sob. "Please just go."

He took a deep breath, looking away. He glanced back.

"I'm not leaving you."

I stomped my foot, looking away and putting my hands on my hips. "Damn it, Huey!"

"Well I'm not!" He yelled. "Either I'm going to be the one who does this or I'm going to be here when you do it. There _is _no other option."

"There is!" I threw up my arms. "You leave with the others!"

"What part of "I'm not leaving you" do you not understand?" He shouted back. "Jazmine, I love you!"

I froze, my eyes widening. He came closer, glaring at me.

"I _won't _leave." He narrowed his eyes. "And that's final."

I bit my lip, glancing up at the top of the catwalk before running up the stairs. I heard him sigh. I reached the landing, walking up to the row of monitors and examining the various buttons. I saw one that was for opening the prison cells and pressed it. I heard a loud whining sound, and in the monitors I could see the remainder of cells that were still locked open. Prisoners ran out, cheering and looking for the exits. In one of the monitors I saw Caesar, along with Commie, Buckshot, Fender and Hollywood, heading towards the first chamber. I wondered where Tyler was, but kept the thoughts to myself. I pushed my hair behind my ears, pressing a button that was beside a microphone.

"Um…hello?" There was a loud, high pitched squeal and I covered my ears. It subsided and I went on. "I'm…going to blow this place up in five minutes. So I suggest you all get out." I could see people freezing in their tracks and looking around. "Well, what the hell are you waiting for?" I snapped, making most of them jump. "Run!"

They all began moving again, even the few guards that weren't knocked out or badly injured. I took my finger off the button and ran back down the stairs, past Huey, to Addison's body. I reached into his pockets, not bothering to be squeamish, and pulled out the rectangular cube. Huey came up to me.

"Jazmine-"

"Huey." I checked my watch. Four minutes. "Please, go."

"Not without you."

I shook my head, pushing past him and looking among the machines for where the ampscine would have to go. Behind me I heard a radio and looked over my shoulder to see Huey speaking into some walkie-talkie looking device.

"Aye, Huey!" Caesar's voice rang out in the room, making a pang shoot through me. "Where you at?"

I swallowed the lump of emotion that filled my throat. Huey glanced towards me.

"I'm in the control room with Jazmine." He turned away. "Send Maya and Cairo over here and tell them to bust out the roof. It's above ground, and it's on the west side. Jazmine's going with you."

"What? No!" I yelled but he held up a hand, silencing me. I heard Caesar sigh.

"Alright, man."

"Is everyone else out yet?" Huey asked.

"Err, not quite. Cindy just got out. Riley…oh, never mind. He's right here."

"Nigga where you at?" Riley asked. Huey looked to the ceiling.

"Get on the plane, alright?" He paused. "I love you, man."

There was a long pause. "…Nigga, you gay."

Huey rolled his eyes and turned off the radio. I bit my lip to keep from crying.

"I'm not going," I whispered. He looked at me.

"Get them to take you to the hospital. You should find a cure. Something that gives you more time." He closed his eyes, turning his head. "I didn't come all this way to let you sacrifice yourself."

"And I didn't let myself get captured so that you could sacrifice _yourself_!" I choked. He looked up again. "This whole thing was so that I didn't have to lose you!"

"And what, you think I can handle losing you?" Huey shook his head. "You've got to have lost your mind if you think I'd _ever _be okay with you giving yourself up for me."

Two minutes. "It's not just for you." I shook my head. "It's for the betterment of our country. It's to save the lives of those who don't even suspect what's planned for them." I pressed my lips together, trying not to sob. "And if I lose you, I'll die. I'll just-"

"Stop being so dramatic."

"I'm not being dramatic!" I stomped my foot, crying. "You can't leave me!"

"But you can leave me? That makes a hell of a lot of sense."

We would spend our last amount of time together arguing. I put my head in my hands and cried.

I couldn't help it. I just couldn't. I'd had to go nearly six years without him, and when we'd finally confessed our love for each other we were out of time. It just wasn't _fair_. I heard him come towards me and felt him pull me into his arms.

"I'm sorry." I looked over the tops of my fingers at him. "I really am."

My face crumpled and I shook my head. "I have _nothing_ without you," I said in a shaky voice, hating how weak I sounded by not being able to care. I heard the sound of a chopper's wings in the air above our heads, then a low whistle. Huey pushed me down, covering me as a blast sounded, blowing chunks of the ceiling away. I coughed as debris fell around up and sat up, looking over his shoulder. I saw a helicopter hovering over the building, Maya's head sticking out the opening.

"You guys!" She waved. "Get your asses up here!"

Huey and I looked at each other. I sniffed, resting my hands on his chest and looking up into his eyes. He stared down at me as well, an apology written all over his face.

"I'm sorry," He repeated. His hands slid down my shoulders. "I'm sorry I can't…" He took a deep breath, as if he were fighting to keep talking. "I'm sorry I can't be around to love you like you deserve."

_That _did it. I let out a choked sob, hugging him again. The wind from the helicopter's wings blew gusts of wind around us, making my hair smack me in the face. He pushed it behind my ear and leaned down, kissing me.

It was filled with emotion; love, urgency, sadness. And regret. I kissed him back with everything I had in me, my fingers grasping at his angel bones and his hands threading themselves in my hair. I had to step back after I was caught up in a wave of emotion that made me forget to breathe. I swallowed, my hand over my mouth. A ladder rolled its way down. I looked up to see Caesar standing near the top of it, waving.

"Hurry up!"

I gave Huey one last look. He swallowed as well.

"I'm sorry."

I nodded, taking a deep breath as well as a step towards him. I looked into his eyes, caressing his cheek with my fingertips.

"Me, too."

He raised an eyebrow. Before he could react I took my gun in my fist and swung it through the air, striking him in the base of his skull. I jumped back, covering my face with my hands and letting out a small cry as he fell to the floor, unconscious. I heard Caesar yell above me.

"Jazmine!" He roared. "What the hell?"

"Come get him!" I shouted back, dropping to my hands and knees and rubbing his back. I rolled him over, resting his head in my lap as I waited for Caesar to descend the ladder.

"I'm so, so sorry," I whispered, as if he could hear me. "But I couldn't let you die. I just couldn't."

I heard Caesar's feet hit the ground and he rushed over, his jaw slack. I held up the ampscine.

"Take him with you. I'm staying."

Caesar frowned. I cringed. He crouched down, throwing his arms around me and giving me a hug so tight I thought my head would pop off my shoulders.

"Jazmine." He sat back, his eyes surprisingly misty. "I…" He shook his head, swallowing. "Goodbye."

The tears built up in my eyes as I sat back so that Caesar could pick up Huey, slinging him over his shoulder. He headed back towards the ladder and I climbed to my feet, clutching the ampscine to my chest as I walked into the center of the room, looking through the hole. The wind blew my hair back, made goose bumps rise on my arms. Caesar ascended the ladder slowly, the man that owned the helicopter climbing down to help lift Huey into the helicopter. I blinked back the tears, determined to look at them as long as possible. Caesar reached the top of the ladder, looking at me one last time as if offering me another chance to come along. I forced myself to wave, letting out a sob. He nodded, pulling up the ladder. The helicopter began to rise in the air, the wind kicking up even more. I held my hand over my face, still looking

I noticed Huey's head slowly poke up. He seemed to be staring around. Then, as if it dawned on him what was going on he appeared, his eyes wide as he stared down at me. I stared back, determined.

"I'm sorry," I said quietly, my eyes never leaving his. I watched him as the helicopter rose higher and higher, finally setting off towards the dark horizon. When I was sure they were far enough away to be safe, I ran back up the catwalk and looked into the monitors. They were all empty, save for a few bodies. I shivered.

I wondered if anyone would find mine.

I ran back down the stairs, spotting the self destruct button near Addison's body. I stepped over him, holding the ampscine in my hand and spotting the rectangular slot it was supposed to fit into, like a puzzle piece. I took a deep breath, listening to the stillness around me. It was so quiet. So peaceful.

The calm before the storm.

I took a deep breath, gently placing the metal into its place and pressing it down until it locked. I pressed the red button beside it and took a deep breath.

_Five._

I ran to the far corner of the room, pressing myself into the corner.

_Four._

I thought of my mother, my father. If I was lucky, they'd be waiting for me.

_Three_.

I thought of everything I hadn't gotten to do; get married, graduate from school. I saw memories; ones that I'd remembered and ones that I thought had been long forgotten, racing before my eyes like a fast forwarding movie.

_Two._

I thought of Huey. His smile, so rare that I'd felt accomplished when I earned every last one. His hands. His tough exterior, so easily seen through all these years. The way my heart seemed to have beaten for him, and only him, since we were ten.

I felt my foot latch against something and looked down to see that I was sitting on a trapdoor. I wondered where it went. But it was too late to know. Too late to know anything, other than how to say goodbye.

_One._

_I love you._

Then, there was a loud, tearing blast that seemed to rock every corner of the earth. There was a roaring inferno of heat. I felt my memories tear apart, my consciousness shatter away.

I felt myself let go.

* * *

_January 2, 2023  
Huey_

The country watched.

There was nothing else that could be done. When the department of defense had been destroyed on New Year's Eve, it was seen as a terrorist attack. Then, word got out from the resistance. From witnesses. From us. The event was known for exactly what it was; a stop to the constant violence and misuse of power that the government had held for too long.

People had been shocked. Then, they got angry.

For the first time since 2012, people began to stand up for themselves and the rights of those around them. Then entire country seemed to come together, realize how wrong it was to base one's worth or race, orientation, religion. It was a hard lesson, but finally, it had been learned. And it was all thanks to her.

Jazmine DuBois became known as a hero. She was called an inspiration to all. People in Europe, African, and Asia heard about her, even in the tiny space of two days. The nation watched as the Pentagon was combed through for remains. Thomas Addison as well as his son, Tyler Addison were found. So was a man by the name of Scott "Hollywood" Timmons, as well as a good few dozen other people. Some people were found alive, but barely. Some weren't found at all.

Jazmine was one of them.

Her memorial service, held in the Arlington Cemetery, was massive. It was cold. It was cloudy. It was devastating.

Maya sat on my left, crying so hard that I was afraid she'd never stop. Caesar sat on my left, his arm around Cindy, who was probably the only person crying harder than Maya. Cairo sat on Maya's other side, her hand in his and his own eyes full. Riley sat beside Cindy, not even ashamed of the tears that trickled down his own cheeks.

I couldn't cry anymore. It hadn't sunk in yet. I didn't know if it ever would.

There was a preacher, but I ignored what he said. I could only focus on the picture of Jazmine that was beside a big bouquet of flowers. Daisies, her favorite. She was at the beach with her dad, probably that summer before he'd died. She was wearing a white dress and her hair was in golden waves. She was sitting on a rock, her bare feet tucked underneath her, laughing at something out of the frame. The rain fell down around us, but I didn't feel it. I couldn't feel anything.

When I'd first realized what Jazmine had done I'd been so angry. It hadn't lasted, of course. Not when the blast from the explosion had been so visible from our vantage point and I'd known that she was inside and I wasn't. The memorial service lasted for over three hours; two of those hours were devoted to people, some we knew, most who we didn't, who got up to say how thankful they were for what Jazmine did, or how they hoped she was in a better place. Some of them even said how they knew her father and met her when she was a little girl. How they knew she was going to be something special.

I wanted to hit them. They thought _they _knew her? I was the one who knew her! I was the one who had been there when she cut her knee the summer we were eleven and had to get stitches. I was the one who listened to her complain about everything trivial to everything severe. I was the one who loved her for who she was, even before she went and saved us all. I shook my head, jumping when I felt a hand touch my shoulder.

"Hey." Caesar was looking down at me. I saw people walking around the cemetery and talking in quiet, hushed voices; it must have been over. "Are you okay?"

I shrugged, lowering my eyes to the ground.

Congress was meeting right now to reconfigure and work the country's laws, trying to get us back to being the country where "all men were created equal". The military was being reassembled. Officers, governors, senators, and radical politicians were being reprimanded, fired, and arrested across the country. Corrupt law enforcers were facing the same punishment. The country wasn't okay now, but it would be.

I couldn't say the same thing for myself. I didn't think I'd ever be okay again.

"We've got to go." Caesar looked sad. "Our flight's in a few hours."

They were going back to New York. Our names were clear. We were free to live our lives as peaceful citizens, the government willing to overlook our forgery and false pretences due to us contributing towards "the good of the country". I nodded.

"Okay." I stood up, glancing back towards the picture. "Give me a minute."

He backed off. Everyone knew to back off quick these past few days. Maybe they thought I was a ticking time bomb, that it would only be a matter of time before my grief got the best of me and I snapped. I knew that wouldn't happen. I wasn't good at grieving.

She hadn't been good at it, either.

I walked to the collection of flowers, letters, stuffed animals, and other trinkets that were all around an honorary headstone. I swallowed, rubbing my fingers against it.

_Jazmine Elizabeth DuBois. September 9, 2000-December 31, 2022_

I closed my eyes, willing the wave of pain that rose up to fade away again. I opened my eyes, picking up one of the flowers, examining it, setting it back down. I stood up again before noticing a lone dandelion, sticking out the grass. I felt another lump rise in my throat.

She'd loved those things. She'd pick up as many as she could whenever we sat on the hill, blowing them so that the puffy white particles would fly off, catching the air and soaring off to some distant place. She'd get such a kick out of it, even when I reprimanded her for being so simple minded as to play with weeds. Of course she'd ignore me or cry.

I'd made her cry too much throughout her life.

I gingerly picked up the dandelion, closing my eyes and gently blowing. I opened my eyes, watching the white, fuzzy pieces float around me, scattering in the wind. I'd gotten every one off the stem in one breath.

Sadly, I knew that my wish was one that would never come true.

* * *

_...Rightttt._

_:Ducks:_

_Please please PLEASE vote in my poll so I can know which story your guys want done next. This is for you all! Geez. Don't make me beat you up, like you probably want to do to me right now. Heh._

_  
-Kelsey_


	29. Epilogue

_Double update! Last chapter last chapter wheee!!!! This is the longest story i've written to date, so I'm glad it's over. Not because I hate it, I don't, I just kept worrying that I'd run into a block and not finish...and there's nothing worse than a story almost being done and you just let it bite the dust. ANYWAYS, thanks to all those who have reviewed, alerted, favorited, told their friends, their mama, their granddaddy, their mistress's sister, and anyone else about my story! (run on, much?) And I hope you enjoy the final chapter of _Old Soul_._

_Told ya'll bitches I already had the ending done. Teehee._

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Epilogue

_"Do not doubt the power of love. It can be the strongest weapon of all."_

_-Athena Freeman_

_---_

_Arizona, if it had to be summed up in one word, was hot. Especially in August._

_It was the type of hot that made you drown in your own sweat. The kind of hot that was inescapable, even in the freezer aisle at a grocery store. The hot that came from a massive, blinding sun that you were sure was too close to be considered safe. A sun that looked ready to gobble up everything around you, including yourself, at any given moment. Unfortunately for me that didn't happen._

_Caesar tried to convince me to come back sometimes. He usually called me at an average of least three times a week (usually more, never less) just to talk. I knew he called me so much to make sure I hadn't somehow managed to jump off a skyscraper or waste away in my small, one roomed house that sat alone in the desert, a good twenty miles from the closest city. He had nothing to worry about. I was so unmotivated, even trying something as foolish as taking my own life would require much more energy than I was willing to put into it. _

_He'd chat about Cindy, who had finally decided to set a date for their wedding sometime this fall, especially since she was pregnant. He asked me how Riley was doing, since he'd surprised us all and joined the military, which was now reconfiguring itself, along with the government, to try and establish some kind of peace. They mainly traveled the country, repairing destroyed cities and rebuilding broken towns. Sometimes Maya even came into the conversation; Maya had returned to her own hometown of Detroit to help rebuild it. She was doing fine, considering that we still hadn't heard from Cairo, who had went back to Chicago sometime in February to try and find his little brother. A lot of deaths were reported in mid-March in the area he'd lived in, and we did our best not to voice what we were all thinking: that there was a good chance he was one of them. _

_Denial, it was our friend. Denial seemed to be all we had._

_Caesar always begged me to tell him where I was, but I never gave in. It wasn't that I didn't want to see him; it was just that I couldn't face everyone who had been there that day in December. Not now. Not yet. I could barely even face myself. _

_"Well, you're gonna come back up here soon, right?" He always asked. I'd sigh._

_"Of course. Soon."_

_We both knew without speaking that soon wouldn't come for a long, long time._

_Being that I was alone, it gave me plenty of time to think. It gave me time to sleep. It gave me time to grieve. I could lie on my bed and watch the light pour in through the windows (if I didn't have the curtains over them, which I usually did), examining the shadows they made on the floor as the sun completed its journey through the sky. Time was something I had plenty of. Maybe I had too much of it._

_Nighttime was always the worst. For some reason I could sleep peacefully during the day but when the sunlight was gone and the sky was dark, so were my dreams. More often than not I couldn't even sleep for more than a couple of hours before I was up, sitting on the old rickety steps outside my front door and watching the moon take the same path as the sun had, as if they were forever locked in a game of tag. I liked to think, even if there most likely wasn't some all powerful being out there, that she was somehow watching me. I liked to think that wherever she was, she was okay. That she was a lot happier there than she'd been here._

_It didn't help; I still felt the stabbing pains in my chest as if someone was gripping my heart, my lungs, and twisting them so tightly together it hurt just to breathe. Not a second went by when I didn't see her face, her smile, and that final look she'd given me before I'd just _left _her there to die. I hadn't cried since my grandad died, yet all I'd done the first night I'd gotten to Arizona was sit in the rain for hours, trying to convince myself that I wasn't really crying, that it was just all the goddamn rain (the only rain there'd been since I'd even gotten here). _

_My chest ached. My body ached. My mind was so fuzzy, so tired. I never imagined that it could be so much of a burden, having to go on without the only person you were living for. I thought that keeping her at a distance would save me so much heartache when in the end, it was ten times worse. I'd lie on my bed. I'd lay on the floor, too tired and listless to worry about how dusty it was. I'd lie on the porch, staring at the sky. It was as if I was waiting, waiting to live or waiting to die. Waiting for a solution, some kind of veil of clarity, to fall over me and give me something to live for. But it never came._

_Sometimes, I'd even think that I heard her. I'd hear the whistling of the wind as it howled around my tiny house, swearing to myself that I'd heard her laughter. Sometimes, when I was dazing in and out of consciousness I'd feel as if her fingers, so soft and delicate, were trailing gently against my cheek. Once in a while, if my front door was open, I'd guarantee that a flash of movement, too quick for me to catch, was her. It was enough to drive me crazy, and I was sure that I wasn't too far from that point._

_Which was why it was so normal for me to be sitting on the wooden steps that led to the porch, my head bowed to my knees. It was windy as hell today, which was good if you enjoyed dirt and sand getting embedded in your eyes, which I didn't. I also couldn't stand to be alone in that house one more second though, so the risk of temporary blindness won out. Since I was outside, the sun beaming directly overhead and rapidly baking me within an inch of my life, it was the only way I heard the engine. _

_At first, I didn't pay attention to it, since I was only about a ten minute drive from the air base, and it was probably someone going there. Otherwise why would anyone in their right mind come out here? There was nothing out here but rocks, lots of dirt, a few cactuses, and…_

_Well…me._

_I was just considering that as the engine got closer, the roaring of it sounding awfully close. For a moment the sound didn't go anywhere and I lifted my head, even though I still didn't look in my left, which was the direction it was coming from. Then, the engine cut off completely._

_I refused to look that way. Not because I was afraid, but because I knew that sound anywhere. It was a motorcycle. And there were only two options as to why someone would be coming out here to see me on a motorcycle._

_One, Caesar had found me. Which would be annoying more than anything, but a way better option than two, which was one of the last extremists had finally caught up to me and wanted to finish me off._

_As bad as it sounds, the second option didn't seem so bad either. I lowered my head again, ignoring the sound of boots crunching gravel over on the old dirt road a good few yards away from my house. I sighed._

_Well, if it was my time to go, then fine. I wouldn't fight it. I didn't have any energy to fight it. Old Huey would have been drop kicked the trespasser by now, but then again old Huey had died the day that he'd watched the only person he loved sacrifice her own life for him. But new Huey? New Huey was fine with this. Shit, new Huey wasn't doing much living anyways, so what was the difference?_

_The footsteps got closer, and I realized they weren't heavy, like Caesar's. In fact, they weren't heavy like the typical male footsteps period. This new knowledge interested me enough where I looked up for the first time, blinking into the bright sunlight that made the person look like a black shadow in my vision. I shielded my eyes with my hand, lowering my head so that I could at least work from the bottom up._

_The first thing I noticed was the boots. They were cowboy boots, dark brown with pink trim and some pink design on each of them. So it _definitely _wasn't a guy…unless it was a gay guy._

_Great. They sent some transvestite to kill me. That would be a _great _way to go. I could see people at my funeral now, whispering in hushed tones: "Huey Freeman, badass of Chicago, couldn't even take down a tranny." _

_The person finally stopped in front of me, a few feet away. I looked up slowly, taking in the tone, tanned legs before my eyes drifted up to spot the brown shorts, the hot pink tank top, and the faded brown leather jacket that covered it. I finally let my eyes land on the helmet that was covering her(it _had _to be a woman, no way could someone who had a body like that be a man) face, the helmet that she was reaching for with slender fingers to pull off her head. My breath caught in my throat, making my lungs tighten. My heart, which I had suspected to have died ages ago, was suddenly kicking in high gear, the pounding so hard I could hear it in my ears._

_No. _No. _There was no way…_

_And yet, as she pulled the helmet from her hood, shaking out her long, glossy hair that was as bright as the sun itself, I felt my eyes widen. I rubbed them, and blinked. I opened them again. The woman opened her eyes, her green irises flashing as she groaned, letting the helmet clatter to the ground beside her._

_"Why did no one warn me that Arizona was so damn _hot_?" She asked, peeling a backpack off of her shoulders and dropping it down as well. She winced, massaging her shoulder. Her leather jacket was the next to go, and she looked at me as if we had this conversation every day. "It was bad enough that my thighs were sticking to that freaking motorcycle, and then I almost got arrested for drug possession when I had to give myself a shot in a diner, but then I swear I almost choked to death on sand. Then again the humidity's down here and that's pretty nice for my hair." She regarded me with a look. "Why would you _live _here?"_

_I couldn't find my voice. I hadn't spoken aloud literally in weeks. I hadn't seen another living soul in even longer. The only sign that the world around me still held life had been the planes that tended to fly overheard quite frequently, and the ringing of my phone that I'd gotten accustomed to ignoring. _

_I was hallucinating. I _had _to be._

_"You-" My throat was raspy, my vocal chords probably working in overtime to get the dust off of them. "This is impossible." I shook my head. "I've finally cracked. I've lost my damn mind."_

_Jazmine, or should I say the figment of my imagination, shook her head, her lips forming a soft smile. "You haven't cracked, Huey."_

_Her voice! Her voice sounded so rich, so full of vitality. My imagination was _good_._

_"See, you're wrong." I couldn't believe I was bothering to talk to myself, but who was around to witness it? It wasn't like I hadn't done weirder things in my lifetime. "Because Jazmine-" Just saying her name gave me chills and it was almost one hundred degrees outside. " Jazmine is dead. She died seven months ago." I shook my head again, feeling another wave of grief wash over me. "So, if you could go away so that I can refrain from having to add "mentally unstable" to my list of problems that would be greatly appreciated."_

_Jazmine looked slightly annoyed. The wind was blowing through her wavy hair, sending strands of the copper colored locks in her face. She reached up with both hands, tucking it behind her ears._

_"Huey." Her voice was softer, patient. "I'm not dead. I'm right here."_

_I jumped to my feet, my fists clenched. I glared down at her. "Is this some kind of sick joke?" I yelled, glancing around and throwing up my hands, as if the earth would really respond. "Huh?" I let my hands drop to my sides, my eyes settling on her again. She looked like she wanted to cry. _

_"Every day," I said in a low, dangerous voice. "Every damn day, every _damn _night, I've had to live with the fact that I lost her. Every waking moment, every non-waking moment, I've had to force myself to come to terms with the fact that I have to live the rest of my life without her!" I pointed at her. "So, I don't have time to deal with figments of my imagination. Just leave. Let me just go back to being miserable instead of getting my hopes up."_

_Jazmine's eyes were full of tears. "I swear. I swear, this isn't some joke. I'm not trying to hurt you. I'm really _here_." She took a step towards me, a tremor in her voice. "And I'm not leaving. Not now, not ever."_

_My glare intensified. "Prove it."_

_I watched her as slowly, carefully, she walked towards me, her piercing emerald eyes never leaving mine. She held out her hand towards me, her eyes pleading. Hesitantly, doubtfully, I lifted my own hand, gently brushing my fingers against her's._

_The initial shock of feeling actual flesh was so great that I jerked my hand back as if I'd been shocked. Jazmine burst out laughing, taking another step closer and resting her palms on my shoulders. The wind was pushing against us now so it blew her hair off of her shoulders. _

_"Do you believe me now?" She asked, letting one of her hands drift down my chest until it was resting directly over my heart. I swallowed, trying to calm my racing heart. I felt as if someone had struck a match and lit my insides on fire. Only, for the first time in over half a year, it wasn't a bad feeling._

_I felt like a living, breathing human being. I felt…alive._

_"You died." I looked at her, lifting my hand to stroke her cheek. It was solid and soft against my fingers and she leaned into my touch, closing her eyes as if she were savoring the moment. "We left you, and the place was destroyed-"_

_"You aren't the only one good at faking deaths," She said, opening her eyes again and looking at me. "I guess I learned from the best."_

_"But…the place _exploded_, Jazmine." My mind was still in shock, and was taking a moment to process all this, which was funny being that I was usually quick about these things. "It blew up. With you _inside_."_

_"Yeah, but the trapdoor that I fell through from the blast didn't. Don't act like you didn't notice all those chambers in that place. I'm not the only one who found one. In fact, a few people got out in better shape than I did." Jazmine rolled her eyes at my look of disbelief._

_She _rolled her eyes_. Never had the sight of someone's annoyance been so beautiful._

_"I do have battle scars, if you don't believe me," She said, lifting up her hair and turning around. I felt my stomach drop as I took in the massive scar from an apparent burn that started a couple inches below her hairline, covering the majority of the back of her neck. Being that the healing skin disappeared below the line of the back of her shirt, as well as peeked out a bit from under the strap on the back of her left shoulder, it was obvious that there was more. "And I have to do shots twice a day. Which, you know, isn't too bad. Only not really." She looked over her right shoulder at me, letting her hair drop back down to cover it._

_"I would've been here sooner," She explained, turning towards me again. "It took me over five months to even get out the hospital. All those damn skin grafts and hormone injections to fight whatever they gave me in prison about did me in. Then I tried to go back to New York to find you after I got out, but you were gone. I went back to Chicago. It was only when I tracked down Katrina, Hiro's old girlfriend, that I was able to find you'd moved out here. And even with her it was a challenge. You hid yourself pretty well." She looked less sure of herself, folding her arms over her chest. Her right hand migrating up to touch the side of her neck; it was a self conscious gesture. "I was going to try and find Caesar and Cindy next. But…I just had to see you." She looked at me again. "I had to know you were okay."_

_I stared down at her, still trying to grasp that she was alive. She was as solid, as real as I was. Slowly, I let my hand touch her shoulder, carefully letting my fingers slide, sneaking underneath her hair, until I could feel the rough, uneven skin on the base of her neck. She lifted her head to look at me just as I gently pulled her into my chest, kissing her._

_It was slow, soft. I let my eyes close, my other hand rising to rest under her chin. Her own hands came to rest on my shoulders, her fingertips sending tiny pulses of electricity through my skin. I lifted my head, staring down at her and cupping her face in my hands as if she were some lost treasure._

_"You're…alive."_

_Jazmine looked slightly relieved. "I am." She poked my chest. "So are you." She looked at me as if examining me closer and sighed, running her own hand down the side of my face. She frowned. "Barely."_

_I snorted. I could feel tiny pieces of me coming back together; threading and weaving and locking into place. "You had me thinking I'd finally lost it."_

_"You_ _had _me_ thinking you'd finally lost it." She rested both of her palms on my chest again. "I'm glad you didn't." _

_"And what if I had?" I couldn't help but challenge. She smiled, even though she was giving me a "duh" look._

_"I would've helped you find you again." She smirked, looking back towards the road, where her motorcycle as well as her few possessions lay. "Just like you'll have to help me find my crap if the sand doesn't stop burying it. Arizona, Huey?" She shook her head. "_Really_?"_

_I was so happy to hear her complaining, so happy to hear her at all, that I laughed. It was so loud, so surprising, that I cut off abruptly. She raised her eyebrow._

_"So." She nodded towards my house. "I'm pretty tight on cash and low on gas. You think you've got enough room in that shack for another person? Temporarily, of course," She added._

_I felt my face fall. "Temporarily."_

_"Well, yeah." Jazmine walked towards the road, an action that made my heart stop again. This girl was going to kill me. She looked over her shoulder. "I'd hate to take up all your space. And it would be rude to impose."_

_"Well." I tried to keep the desperation out of my voice. But shit, I wasn't afraid to admit it, I _was _desperate. She couldn't just leave me alone again! "I guess you could stay here. Temporarily."_

_Those didn't look like the words she wanted to hear, but before she could even think about saying anything else I went on._

_"You know…until I move somewhere more permanent." I shrugged casually, shoving my hands in my pockets and trying to ignore how my black T shit flapped in the wind. Her eyes widened. "You could come too, I guess. That is, if you wanted." I smirked._

_She stared at me for a long moment, her mouth breaking into a huge grin and her eyes lighting up brighter than I'd ever remembered them being. Me, the man who hadn't smiled in seven months, smiled for probably the third time in the past few minutes._

_"Is that okay?" I asked._

_In response Jazmine ran to me, her arms outstretching in front of her as she jumped into my arms. She slammed her lips against mine, laughing in my mouth as I lifted her, spinning us around in a circle. I grinned, kissing her back until my lungs were screaming for air, until I was lightheaded and felt as airy as the wind around us. Instead of setting her back on the ground I held her to my chest, gazing up into her eyes. She was laughing, sounding pretty winded herself._

_"I have to get my stuff-" She started but I cut her off with another kiss, moving my arms so that I was holding her bridal style against my chest. I broke the kiss, giving her a look._

_"I really don't want to let you go right now." She wrapped her arms around my neck. "I'm still afraid that if I do, you'll disappear and I'll wake up and this will all have been a dream. And then I'll _really _lose it. Give me an hour. Or two." I thought about it. "Or all night…"_

_Jazmine laughed, her face coloring. "It would only take a few moments-"_

_"Hell no." I shook my head. "That's way too long."_

_"Well, I don't want a Coyote or some lunatic hobo running off with-"_

_I kissed her again, already starting towards the house. "It's Arizona, not Australia. Besides, they don't come out until nighttime. And they usually stay by the hills and they're a good twenty miles away."_

_"The hobos or the Coyotes?"_

_I smirked. Not even five minutes of her being back and I already felt my sarcasm returning. "Both."_

_Jazmine bit her lip, smirking as well. "Well, I don't really want to let you go either." She looked up at me, tracing my jaw line with her finger. "I missed you so much."_

_She had no idea. "I missed you." I paused. "I missed you more than I thought I could ever miss anyone."_

_I'd always thought that people needed to learn how to be functional on their own, with no emotional attachments. And maybe that was true._

_But not for me._

_I needed her. I needed her more than anything. And I loved her. I'd _always _loved her._

_As if reading my mind Jazmine shifted in my arms, sitting up so that she could kiss me again. "I love you," She said softly. I swallowed, taking in the way the sun seemed to make her skin glow, the way her eyes sparkled as they stared into my eyes…how could I have ever thought that I could live without her?_

_"I love you, too." I heard the phone ringing from inside the house and mentally groaned. "I guess I should tell Caesar I'm ready to come back."_

_Jazmine smiled up at me. "I think he'd like that."_

_"Then again…"I ignored the phone, glancing around before smirking at her. "I could always wait a few days. Or a week."_

_Jazmine's eyebrow arched. "Why?"_

_I gave her a look of my own. "Why do you think?"_

_Jazmine giggled. "We don't have to go yet. But I mean, I could at least tell him. Or you could tell him and let me talk to him-"_

_"I will! Just…not now. Or later. Or the rest of the night." I shrugged as she shook her head, rolling her eyes. "I'll tell him and Cindy, and even call Riley. I'll even ring up Maya in Detroit and you can talk to her. And we'll go back. And we'll get our own place that's not as small as a closet or in a hot ass desert and have the rest of our lives to go talk to anyone we want, whenever. But right now, I don't feel like sharing you. For at least the next twenty-four hours, I just want you to myself."_

_Jazmine grinned as I carried her up the porch steps. "That doesn't sound like a bad idea at all."_

_I snorted, bending my head down to kiss her again. I kicked the door closed with my foot, locking the door with one hand._

_It was a good thing that we were so far away from everyone else, and that it was so easy to just leave the phone off the hook. The privacy I'd come to hate in the past few months was now my best friend._

_I had a feeling we were going to need it. _

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_So, when I originally started this story, Jazmine was supposed to die. But I couldn't do it. Not that I wouldn't ever kill off a main character in a story, so don't put it past me. __Thanks for being awesome! And I hope you've all learned a valuable lesson...please, put your views and opinions aside and shut the hell up. And let people be people. Otherwise the world will blow up and we'll all die. K, thnx, bye. :D_

_No, there will not be a sequel. No, there won't be a prequel. And no, there won't be a lemon (you pervs). Make up your own freaking lemon and if you're that hell bent on there being one send it to me. Geez. :P_

_Happy reading! (And for heaven sake's, review. It IS the last chapter, meanies. :O)_

_-Kelsey_


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